Pediatric Cardiology Patient Stories

The University of Maryland Children's Heart Program treats patients with all forms of congenital heart disease. Most patients are treated as children, but more and more, physicians are also treating adult patients who have lived with congenital heart conditions.

ALCAPA patient makes full recovery after heart surgery

Baby Ari was only a few months old when her mother noticed that she was having problems while feeding. Originally, her mother, Khalilah Barrier, just thought her daughter had a cold, until one day she noticed Ari sweating profusely.

"It was like she was running on a treadmill while eating," Barrier said. "She had little drops of sweat all over her forehead. She didn’t look like a healthy baby."

Little did she know that her daughter’s weight loss and sweating while eating were part of a much larger problem: ALCAPA, which stands for Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery.

Read the rest of Ari's story here.

Young gymnast competes again after heart surgery

15-year-old Jordyn Ray had several sicknesses as a baby, but her family never thought any of that had to do with her heart. One day at school, Jordyn, a gymnast, felt like her heart was pounding out of her chest. After meeting with a pediatric cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, it was discovered that open heart surgery was needed.

The surgery corrected Jordyn's heart problems and allowed her to return to competition.

The Race to Save Grace

Meet Grace Rice, who was diagnosed with a form of heart failure before she was two years old. The University of Maryland Children's Heart Program's team worked together to diagnose the problem and save Grace's life.

Family Travels from Chicago for son's heart surgery

The Palka family needed the best surgical care for their 2-year-old son, Noah. Noah, a twin, was born with coarctation of the aorta. Dr. Sunjay Kaushal operated on Noah as a baby when he was a surgeon in Chicago. When it was time for Noah's next surgery, the Palka family only wanted Dr. Kaushal, so Paul and Noah traveled from Chicago to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

Noah's surgery was a success, and Paul felt compelled to share his gratitude for the surgeon and team who saved his son's life.

Diagnosis of congenital heart disease was a surprise to parents

Collin Ripple, the youngest of four children, was born with congenital heart disease, which caught his parents off guard. Collin's parents, Suzie and Kenny, said they were treated like family by University of Maryland Medical Center staff, and Collin's heart was repaired by surgery.

Read a letter from the Ripple family.

Baby receives care in utero and after birth

Feran Taylor found out that her daughter, Faith, had a congenital heart disease while Faith was still in the womb. The University of Maryland Medical Center's multidisciplinary team took actions to correct the abnormality.