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Solving Addison’s puzzle: Uncovering a congenital heart defect
Addison is a smart, sweet and caring child who brings a smile to everyone she meets. She is known for her hugs and frequently doles them out to anyone and everyone. She loves elephants—and her heart is...
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Kenslie’s story: A new brother and a new chance at life
February was a very busy month for the Shealy family from Lexington, South Carolina. Lori and Calvin were expecting the family’s fourth child. Their daughter Kenslie, 2, was ecstatic at the thought of...
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Summer camp fun for kids with pacemakers/ICDs
Like many other 7-year-old girls, Caroline Sawyer and her twin sister enjoy watching Barbie movies, coloring and eating ice cream once a week. However, unlike other kids her age, Caroline has scars...
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For baby Joy, music and medicine are in perfect harmony
James Danna enters the Boston Children’s Hospital Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) with the tools he’ll use to treat Joy, a 9-month-old patient recovering from open-heart surgery. Instead of a...
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Brave Hearts: How one Mom faces her daughter’s congenital heart disease
Finding out your child has congenital heart disease (CHD) can send you on an emotional roller coaster. “You can’t help but think, is this my fault? What did I do wrong?” says Jessica Nigrelli, whose...
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Molly’s story: Care for a rare condition close to home
Curly-haired, bright-eyed Molly Leary pushes a plastic baby stroller filled with a pile of books and one baby doll. She spends a sunny afternoon on the lawn reading, singing ”Itsy Bitsy Spider” and...
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Alina’s story, Part I: Looking back on a heart transplant
Heart failure in children is a sneaky condition. The symptoms can be subtle, and the situation often worsens quite quickly. That was the case for Alina Siman. Though Alina, now 8, was born with...
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Alina’s Story, Part II: 7 tips for long hospital stays
When four-year-old Alina Siman was waiting for a heart transplant in 2011, she had to stay at Boston Children’s Hospital for a total of five months. Alina had suffered from severe heart failure and was...
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Alina’s story part III: Life after a heart transplant
The moment Alina Siman first opened her eyes after her heart transplant is a moment her parents will never, ever forget. “She saw her dad standing over her,” recalls her mother, Mary, “and she said,...
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Summer in September: Pacemaker/ICD Camp lets kids be kids
Often you hear from parents that they want their child to be the best, the standout star — the child who rises above the rest and sets herself apart from the group as unique or special. But when you...
View ArticleDanny Strong: High school athlete battles heart failure, gets transplant
As a varsity football and lacrosse player, 17-year-old Simsbury, Connecticut native Danny Deitz was used to pushing the limits of his physical endurance. No doubt the competitive spirit was passed...
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Kenny’s story: Paying it forward, 15 years post-heart transplant
How many people can say their employer once helped save their life? Kenny Laferriere has been working for the New England Organ Bank for eight years, and in January 2016, he will celebrate the 15th...
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Dakota’s story: Advances in medical management of pediatric heart failure
The Longe family (Left to right: Brooke, Roger, Erica, and Dakota) Over the past few decades, more and more children with congenital heart defects have been receiving life-saving surgery soon after...
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Maverick’s story: Advances in medical management of pediatric heart failure
In recent years, the Boston Children’s Hospital Heart Failure team has made significant strides in slowing the progress of heart failure in children. In some cases, disease progression has been slowed...
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