Two-year-old Gift Mbwali and her mother traveled more than 7,600 miles from their home in Uganda to Norton Children’s Heart Institute where surgeons repaired a heart defect she has lived with since birth. Her family was well aware of the high stakes. Her older brother, Patrick, made the same journey in 2017 to have a…
When a parent has a newborn, child or teen with a congenital heart condition that needs surgery, they want to know where the operation should happen and which hospital has a record of success. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) operates a database that rates congenital heart programs based on patients’ outcomes. Users can look…
Philmore Jackson III, is a courageous young man whose medical journey has taken many twists and turns. By age 3, Philmore, who goes by P.J., had been near death many times. By many accounts, there wasn’t much hope for him to live to his fourth birthday. Born in 2014 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, P.J. was…
Bahaaldin Alsoufi, M.D., was a teenager growing up in Damascus, Syria, when his father collapsed from a heart attack. The 16-year-old watched with uncertainty and fear as his father was treated at a local hospital and later in the United States. Grateful and relieved to see him recover, he vowed to pursue a profession in…
Bahaaldin Alsoufi, M.D., has joined the University of Louisville Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and Norton Children’s Heart Institute at Norton Children’s Hospital as the new chief of the division of pediatric cardiac surgery. He will practice with UofL Physicians – Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Alsoufi comes to Louisville from Emory University, Atlanta,…
Our journey to parenthood started with joy, excitement, a bit of surprise and a whole bundle of nerves. Is anyone ever really ready to be a parent — to see those eight letters, “pregnant” — on a pregnancy test stick? I made my first appointment with Norton OB/GYN Associates, and it felt like time crept…
The Miller family of Bowling Green, Kentucky, has a reason to celebrate Heart Month every day. Their daughter, Abigail, recently celebrated her first birthday — her “heartiversary” — with family and friends. A year ago, her parents, Amanda and Tim, learned Abigail needed lifesaving surgery to fix defects in her heart — ventricular septal defect…
Logan Carroll is a young man on the move. A junior at Western Kentucky University, Carroll spent last summer biking 3,600 miles across the United States to raise money for Alzheimer’s research with his fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta. He also enjoys distance running, camping, hiking and, of course, hanging out with friends. Carroll sounds like…
Fainting, or passing out, is a brief or sudden loss of consciousness. It can happen quickly and resolve quickly. Many older children and teenagers faint during childhood. While fainting in children may not be serious, it might be a sign that your child should see a heart doctor (cardiologist). Know what to look for so you can get the help your child…
In 1986, Robbie Cardin became Norton Children’s and Kentucky’s first pediatric heart transplant patient. As you can imagine, his plight was covered by the media. Robbie was referred to as “Baby Calvin” to protect his family’s privacy. Robbie was born by cesarean section at Hardin Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Doctors knew right away something…
Vibrant and bouncing, Wells Whitaker is a ball of energy. The 2-year-old bundle of long golden curls and bright laughter seems to have an endless supply of energy. His parents, Leslee and Matt, remember just months before, Wells was a very different toddler. “He has two older siblings,” Matt said. “He would try to keep…
Dynamic and vivacious, 11-year-old twin sisters Lauren and Madison are every bit as charming as they are spirited. However, while the girls are matched in character, they differ in physical development. Older by 30 minutes, Lauren is noticeably taller than Madison, who was born with a congenital heart defect. Halfway through her pregnancy, their mother,…