Rowan
Mere days after Rowan Adams came into the world, her parents noticed something was wrong. “She started to breathe really hard and rapidly; she wouldn’t eat,” said Kristina Adams, Rowan’s mom. “When I was holding her, I noticed she was cold, and when we checked her temperature, it was 94 degrees. It was over the…
Read Full StoryEli
Elijah “Eli” Mayes, an 11-year-old from Lewisburg, Kentucky, is thriving, despite a rare and complicated heart disease. When he was born, Eli was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, an abnormality of the heart. The left side of the heart is smaller and weaker than it should be. With hypoplastic left heart syndrome, surgery is…
Read Full StoryCaroline and Catherine
Caroline Herzig’s life revolves around horses, while her sister, Catherine, lives for tennis. Despite their different interests, the girls have a lot in common. Due to spine surgery and a severely broken leg, the sisters have a combined three rods and 20 screws in their bones. They also spent time recovering in the same unit…
Read Full StoryZoey
Three-year-old Zoey Keipp is all smiles during her visits with Brian J. Holland, M.D., pediatric cardiologist with Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. Zoey, whose family lives in the Paducah, Kentucky, area, doesn’t have to take long car rides to Louisville for her cardiology appointments. Dr. Holland sees patients at the Norton…
Read Full StoryWren
Wren’s parents were surprised with her diagnosis at birth. About an hour after she was born, neonatologists noticed her oxygen levels were lower than normal. It led to a whirlwind of tests, and Wren was diagnosed with tetralogy of Fallot with severe pulmonary stenosis, a complex heart condition. Now 1-year-old Wren has had two heart…
Read Full StoryStella
Stella’s journey began with congenital heart disease. Even before her birth on Nov. 15, 2017, her family knew she was destined for an extraordinary path. Her heart conditions included holes and weakened muscle, which meant surgery was imminent. Stella received a heart transplant on July 23, 2018, when she was just eight months old. Her…
Read Full StorySavannah
Savannah Garner is a trouper. That is the biggest takeaway from the people closest to her. The fifth-grade girl from Louisville has been living with a medical condition for most of her life. Savannah was diagnosed at age 2 1/2, and for eight years, she has undergone treatment at Norton Children’s Hospital and Norton Children’s Cancer…
Read Full StoryMaisie
Maisie’s heart journey began when her mother was 24 weeks pregnant. At a routine ultrasound, Maisie’s mom was referred to Norton Children’s Hospital for an official diagnosis. Maisie was then diagnosed with a narrowing aortic arch, flipped ventricles, a large ventricular septal defect (hole in the heart) and transposition of the great arteries. At 1…
Read Full Story
Madison
Meet Madison, a 3-year-old superhero who has inspired us all. Madison’s heart story began early. She was diagnosed with an unbalanced atrioventricular canal defect at just 20 weeks in the womb. At seven days old, Madison underwent her first heart surgery, followed by another at 10 weeks. She received a lifesaving heart transplant when she…
Read Full StoryLiam
As Liam Atherton crossed the finish line at the Bluegrass BMX championship last fall, the 11-year-old couldn’t help but smile. Not only had Liam won the race in the sport he loves, but just hours earlier, he finished chemotherapy to conquer a spine tumor that threatened his mobility. Liam has participated in BMX since he was 3…
Read Full Story