My Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) Story
Born in New York City in 1988, I was the third child for my parents and the first boy. I was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect at birth. The diagnosis was Dextrocardia with levo-transposition of the great vessels. To simplify; I was born with my heart pointing towards the right instead of the left and the lower section of my heart, including the main arteries, are fully reversed. I had a hole in the septum (the wall) between the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles). My parents were told I would need to be under constant monitoring and that I would require open heart surgery before my fifth birthday. I know the first five years or so of my life were very difficult for them. Constant doctor visits, checking on me in the middle of the night to make sure I was breathing. They have never complained, but I know it took a toll on them.
Fast forward to April 1992. I was admitted into the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital for a Fontan procedure. This is a surgical technique used to separate oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood.
Growing up I always wanted to help children with my same condition. I thought I'd be a pediatric cardiologist. I've realized that biology is not for me. My desire to bring awareness and help others with CHD has only grown throughout the years. Today I am proud to launch Right Heart.
Congenital heart defect (CHD) is another way of saying your heart had a problem when you were born. You may have had a small hole in it or something more severe. Although these can be very serious conditions, many can be treated with surgery.
The hospital charges mount rapidly, and the cost of one of these surgeries can easily escalate to over $200,000.
Right Heart's mission is to help raise awareness and help fund research about the world's leading cause of death. We also strive to assist families who do not have the financial means, or proper insurance, to cover the cost of the surgeries that many patients with CHD require. A portion of all proceeds goes to the American Heart Association for research as well as helping individual families on a per-case basis. We are also working on building a partnership with New York-Presbyterian Hospital to expand our reach to all of their facilities and affiliates.
For the approximate 6 million of us that have dextrocardia, "Right Heart" is quite literal. Right Heart goes beyond the literal aspect; it's a loved one with CHD, a survival story, a battle with any health issue, a loved one we have lost or as simple as "having your heart in the right place."
