Walter L. Sobczyk, M.D., pediatric cardiologist with Norton Children’s Heart Institute has treated hundreds of children born with life-threatening heart abnormalities. Thanks to advances in surgery and treatment over the last decades, most of these children are now living into adulthood. “Some of these heart conditions are very serious, and for a long time these…
The Festival of Trees & Lights, presented by Republic Bank, has helped kick off the holiday season in Louisville for the past 30 years. The festival and the Snow Ball gala have raised nearly $9.4 million, helping fund technology advancements and care at Norton Children’s Hospital. The Festival of Trees & Lights has become a…
From working in a genetics lab to teaching yoga, Melissa Lee Perrotta, M.D., has found a way to blend all of her passions into one career. Her drive to understand and solve complex problems and her interest in integrative healing has led her to caring for patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). She has…
In Eli Alexander’s 23 months of life, he has overcome a congenital heart defect with the help of a heart transplant. His family has taken to comparing his strength and bravery to an elephant’s. It only made sense that he should help unveil the name of the Louisville Zoo’s baby elephant. In a naming contest…
Nicole Pendino has a courageous son. In fact, his nickname is “Courageous Clay.” Many members of his hometown community in Bowling Green, Kentucky, have rallied around him over the past 12 years. In 2017 when Clay’s heart condition worsened and he was added to the heart transplant list, he was literally fighting for his life…
Four-year-old Allen Norton is a ball of energy. He loves dancing, singing, eating ice cream and being active outside. Most of all, he loves the University of Louisville Cardinals. Just ask him and he’ll throw an “L” up and say, “Go Cards!” Allen has an extra chromosome that caused Down syndrome. He also has a…
A day of tragedy in Charles City, Iowa, has led to lasting friendship and love for two families connected through one heartbeat. After Lenny and Wendy Luft’s 15-year-old son was injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident, his condition worsened. As it became clear he wouldn’t survive, they decided to donate his organs. “It was a…
Before he was born, Schielar Skaggs’ parents, Terry and Melissa, worried about the life their son would have. Would he survive childbirth? If he did, would his life be short and filled with suffering and surgeries? Tests during Melissa’s pregnancy showed Schielar had a complex congenital heart condition known as hypoplastic right heart syndrome with…
Infant heart transplants are never routine, but for a child who wouldn’t otherwise survive a congenital heart defect, they’ve become much more common. That wasn’t the case 32 years ago when Leslie Keown of Franklin, Kentucky, was born. Transplanting the heart of a days-old baby was almost unheard of, but it was a lifesaving procedure…
More often than not, a child complaining of chest pain doesn’t suggest a serious problem. Children, young ones especially, aren’t very reliable when it comes to describing their own pain. “Most of the time, chest pain in children is not caused by a heart problem,” said Brian J. Holland, M.D., a pediatric cardiologist with Norton…
Eleanor Westenhofer, an 8-year-old heart transplant patient, led a delegation to Washington. Eleanor, along with a team from Norton Children’s Hospital, met with lawmakers to make sure they keep sick kids in mind as they work on health care legislation. She took part in Speak Now for Kids 2019 Family Advocacy Day. Eleanor shared this about…
Anytime a child or teenager faints, “passes out” or loses consciousness, family members — as well as the child or teen — often worry there might be something terribly wrong. The good news is that fainting or syncope (pronounced sin-koh-pee) in most older children and teenagers who are otherwise healthy does not automatically mean that…