Twelve Patients Full of Heart

Oklahoma Children’s Hospital Heart Center provides the highest and most comprehensive care for children across our state and region. We have an incredible team of nearly 150 people who work across disciplines to help fix and repair tiny hearts. But what really sets us apart is — our patients.

Congenital heart defects are the number one birth defect in children, and it is important to bring awareness to this condition by recognizing our many heart warriors. Each month, we recognize a patient on social media who has undergone heart surgery.

January

Meet January’s Kid with Heart, Zoe. After a diagnosis of pulmonary stenosis as a newborn, Zoe had a balloon valvuloplasty, a procedure to repair a heart flap that has too narrow of an opening. However, recent changes on her EKG during an exercise stress test revealed that now 13-year-old Zoe would need surgery. Her cardiac MRI showed moderate valve/subvalvular pulmonary valve stenosis with mild to moderate right ventricular hypertrophy and mild pulmonary valve insufficiency. Zoe underwent a subpulmonic membrane resection. Just four days post-surgery, she was discharged home and has been a rock star. Way to go Zoe!

February

Meet February’s Kid with Heart, Jakailyn. At 4 months old, Jakailyn had congestion and a cough that did not clear up. After a visit with her primary care doctor and a trip to her local emergency room, she was referred to Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health with a diagnosis of supracardia TAPVR. After a successful surgery and a one month stay, she’s back home and doing well. Way to go Jakailyn!

March

Meet our March Kid with Heart, Miss Luna! At 7 months old, Luna was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot with severe multilevel pulmonary stenosis. She was followed by physicians in Tulsa and recently underwent surgery in February at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital. After a nine-day hospital stay, Luna was able to return home where she made a quick recovery. Way to go Luna!

April

Meet Druzy, our April Kid with Heart. Druzy is a 2 year old imaginative little boy who was born with a congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries, commonly known as TGA. Recently Druzy underwent a Tricuspid valve replacement and MPA band tightening. This fighter has been through a lot, but is always in great spirits. Druzy loves transformers, playing outside, his big brother Dash and his husky Kilo. Way to go Druzy!

May

Introducing our May Kid with Heart, Wyatt. This amazing 4-year-old has had a complex history of coarctation of the aorta, double inlet left ventricle and aortic arch hypoplasia. When his family learned about the work being done by Harold Burkhart, M.D., they made the decision to move from Dallas to Oklahoma for his cardiology care. Wyatt had previously undergone Norwood and Glenn surgeries in 2017. Last month, Dr. Burkhart performed a redo Norwood operation, left pulmonary artery patch angioplasty and pectus excavatum repair. Wyatt did great after surgery, and after a little more than a week, was discharged to recover from home. Way to go Wyatt, we are proud of you!

June

Introducing our June Kid with Heart, Finley. This beautiful 6-month-old just had her second open heart surgery. Finley was diagnosed with tricuspid atresia along with a ventricular septal defect. During Finley's first surgery in December of 2020, Harold Burkhart, M.D. and TK Nakamura, M.D., placed pulmonary artery bands with an atrial septectomy. On April 29, 2021, she had a Bidirectional Glenn and pulmonary artery band tightening. Finley is doing great after surgery, sharing her sweet smile. Way to go, Finley - we are proud of you!

July

Our July Kid with Heart is 5-month-old Bastien Mitchell. Bastien was transferred to Oklahoma Children's Hospital from Tulsa for a complete atrioventricular repair on July 15, with a diagnosis of complete atrioventricular canal and trisomy 21. He surprised his family with a quick and amazing recover after surgery and is already back at home. Way to go Bastien, we are proud of you!

August

Meet our August Kid With Heart, Lake Sturges. This 9-year-old super hero-loving boy was seen by Harold Burkhart, M.D., and Yuki Nakamura, M.D., for a congenital heart defect called anomalous aortic origin of right coronary artery. On July 19, Lake underwent coronary unroofing surgery and was discharged four days later, wearing his awesome super hero cape that has patches representing all the procedures he's undergone. He is a brave kid who handled his surgery like a regular caped crusader!

September

Louisa Cooper is our September Kid with Heart. At six months old she was diagnosed with Complete Atrioventricular Canal. Under the care of her pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons, Harold Burkhart, M.D. and Yuki Nakamura, M.D., Louisa underwent complete atrioventricular canal defect repair. Discharged on August 9, she has been happily recovering at home. You can support kids like Louisa by making a donation to the Oklahoma Children's Hospital Heart Center.

October

Our October Kid With Heart is Josias Gaytan. This adorable 2-year-old boy had an atrial septal defect repair in early October. Thanks to the team work of his cardiothoracic surgeons, Harold Burkhart, M.D. and Yuki Nakamura, M.D., Josias is home recovering just 4 days after his surgery. Way to go Josias!

November

7-month-old Theodore (Teddy) Eason is our November Kid with Heart. Diagnosed with Atrioventricular Canal defect, he underwent repair of AV canal under the care of the Oklahoma Children's Hospital cardiothoracic surgeons, Harold Burkhart, M.D. and Yuki Nakamura, M.D. Six days after his surgery, he was discharged to continue his recovery at home. He is a happy guy who had a smooth postoperative course and is recovering well!

December

Meet 7-month-old Samadhi – our December Kid with Heart. Prenatally diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries with ventricular inversion, Samadhi underwent two cardiac catheterizations during her initial stay in our NICU. Last month, she underwent a Senning Atrial Switch procedure with PDA ligation, under the care of Harold Burkhart, M.D., and Yuki Nakamura, M.D. She is currently recovering at Oklahoma Children's Hospital, but will be going home soon!

To support pediatric heart patients and their families, make a donation online or call 405-271-4100.

For more information about Oklahoma Children’s Hospital Heart Center and the level of care we provide, visit our heart care for children services.