Florence Alexa Godoy from Chicago’s North Side is an active vivacious pre-schooler. Her exuberant belies the fact that she was born with a once-fatal heart condition.

As a newborn, Florence was immediately transported to Children’s Memorial Hospital. Her diagnosis: a rare congenital heart condition called single ventricle. In a normal heart, one ventricle pumps blue blood to the lungs and the other pumps red blood to the body. When there is only one ventricle, that ventricle is always overworking and this leads to heart failure. Twenty years ago, all patients with this condition died in childhood. Now, surgeons operate to divide the circulation so that blood flow occurs normally.

For Florence, three operations by cardiovascular surgeons at Children’s Memorial have resulted in a much more promising situation. Children with a single ventricle now live well into their twenties and thirties with more breakthroughs expected.

Our hope is that advances in cardiac care will lead to an even brighter future for Florence. But for now, this inspiring little girl is living life to the fullest.

As the tragic events of September 11, 2001 unfolded in the United States, three-year-old Colin Johnson underwent a heart procedure at Children’s Memorial Hospital that renewed his young life. Despite the day’s sadness, Colin’s family quietly celebrated his transformation to the spunky, active boy that he is today.

When Kellie Johnson was eight months pregnant with Colin, he was found to have an abnormally high heart rate. A rapid heart rate can lead heart failure, or death, if left untreated. In Colin’s case, the rapid heart rate developed because of an extra electrical pathway between the heart’s upper and lower chambers – a condition called Wolf Parkinson White syndrome.

Delivered by emergency cesarean section, Colin began a daily regime of medications to try to control his heart rate. Without medications, is heart rate could abruptly jump to more than double the normal rate of a baby his age. With medicine, he was still at risk of rapid heart rate and could also have significant side effects. When tests at Children’s Memorial Hospital revealed the severity of is heart condition, cardiologist Barbara Deal, MD, a leader in the non-surgical technique of cardiac ablation, recommended this procedure for Colin. High frequency radio waves were used to ablate, or destroy, the portion of his heart that was causing the rapid heartbeat.

“I know that doctors and nurses at Children’s Memorial do this type of procedure every day, but their work is extraordinary to us,” says Kellie.

Emma and Madeline Mulvill came into the world together, but Emma’s heart condition threatened to keep the twin sisters apart.

Two weeks before their birth, a routine ultrasound suggested a heart problem in Emma. That same day, Children’s Memorial cardiologist Nina Gotteiner, MD, performed a fetal echocardiogram and found a narrowed valve inside Emma’s heart that threatened to interrupt the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the infant’s body. Emma was fine while in the womb. After birth, however, her condition would cause failure of the right ventricle, the pumping chamber of the lungs. Immediately after her delivery Emma was transferred to Children’s Memorial where Drs. Steve Pophal and David Wax performed and emergency balloon dilatation procedure that successfully widened the pathway to her lungs, resulting in near normal function of her heart.

Emma left the hospital a few days later and joined her twin at home. A second procedure performed a month later further widened the valve in her heart. Now, careful follow-up ensures that she continues to thrive.

Emma and Madeline are now smiling and rolling over. Thanks to Children’s Memorial, they will keep growing and developing – together.

Soon after Chloe Trush was born, her skin developed a gray tinge. Doctors at the hospital where she was born immediately knew something was wrong. She was quickly whisked away from new mom Debbie and transferred to Children’s Memorial Hospital. Cardiologist Rae-Ellen Kavey diagnosed her with a complex congenital heart condition called tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, which results in reduced blood flow to the lungs and low levels of oxygen in the body. Upon hearing the diagnosis and learning that their baby needed heart surgery, Debbie and husband Ben feared the worst.

At six days old, Chloe underwent surgery to temporarily support her circulation with a shunt, which improved blood flow to her lings. Before surgery, Chloe’s oxygen level was a mere 65 compared to a normal level of 100. At nine months, Chloe was big enough to undergo full repair surgery for her heart by cardiovascular surgeons Constantine Mavroudis and Carl Backer. After surgery Chloe’s blood oxygen level soared to 100 and her gray skin turned a healthy baby pink.

The Tushes know future surgeries lie ahead for Chloe, but her prognosis for a full life is good. As Debbie likes to tell Chloe, “You have a beautiful special heart and we need to take good care of it.”

Pediatric Cardiology Patients Please, click on the picture to read the child's story