Vea's Journey With Ebstein Anomaly
鈥淲e would put our trust in Dr. Pizarro all over again.鈥
鈥 Brittany, Mom
Vea's Story
A Year of Fear That Turned to Hope
It all began for Brittany, an expectant first-time mom, when a routine 20-week ultrasound revealed an abnormality. She was then referred to Nemours Children鈥檚 fetal cardiologist Dr. Shubhika Srivastava. Brittany had a fetal echocardiogram, a noninvasive way of inspecting a baby鈥檚 heart while still in the womb. Unfortunately, she learned that her baby had a very rare congenital heart defect called Ebstein Anomaly. The defect was linked to an abnormality in one of the valves of the heart, the tricuspid, causing it to leak. If left untreated, it would most likely result in heart failure. To correct the defect, surgery would be required.聽
Vea鈥檚 Birth Through the Advanced Delivery Program聽
Knowing that her baby would need highly specialized heart care immediately after birth, Brittany delivered Vea through the at Nemours Children鈥檚 Hospital, Delaware. 鈥淲hat an amazing experience! I felt special,鈥 says Brittany, 鈥渂ecause everyone went above and beyond for me.鈥
Successful Cardiac Surgery at Just Five Months Old
Dr. Christian Pizarro, recognized as a surgical expert in this type of complex heart defect, successfully repaired Vea鈥檚 heart when she was just 5 months old.
Now, one year after surgery, Vea is thriving and mobile 鈥 crawling like crazy and stealing hearts with her wide-eyed glance. It鈥檚 possible Vea may need another surgery at some point and if she does, her mom says, 鈥淲e would put our trust in Dr. Pizarro all over again.鈥