Published: October 16, 2026

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

When Aggie Smothers was just 5 months old, her mom, Hailey, knew something wasn’t right with her infant. 

Aggie already had recovered after surgery as a newborn for pyloric stenosis, an intestinal condition that prevents healthy digestion. But when she became unusually fussy and struggled to keep down her bottles and kept getting sick while feeding, Hailey felt this was different. 

“Finally, the mom instincts kicked in, and I was like, there’s something more than just a cold going on here,” Hailey said. 

At their local emergency department, a physician noticed Aggie’s heart rate dropping while she slept, which led to her being transferred to Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. There, the family learned Aggie had rhinovirus and adenovirus, viral infections that can cause respiratory issues and stomach upset. After careful evaluation, it appeared the viral infections likely had led to myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, which then caused her to have heart block. It’s a condition that interferes with the normal electrical signals coordinating how the heart beats, causing it to beat too slowly.

The Nelson County, Kentucky, family had no idea that viral infections that can cause the common cold also, rarely, would cause such a serious heart complication.  

Her heart needed a lot of help  

During Aggie’s initial hospitalization, the Norton Children’s Heart Institute team monitored the changes in her heart rhythm closely, and the heart block did not progress and became very serious. Eventually, she was able to go home without needing a pacemaker, but her heart would still need regular monitoring.  

Over the next few months, her heart block unfortunately progressed, and her heartbeats became even slower. At 13 months old, when Aggie was being seen for a regular cardiology follow-up appointment, she was instead admitted to the hospital. Her care team said she now needed a pacemaker. 

Deborah J. Kozik, D.O., a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon with Norton Children’s Heart Institute, successfully implanted Aggie’s pacemaker to help keep her heart beating at an appropriate rate. The procedure required opening Aggie’s chest.

Aggie’s care during that hospital stay was supervised closely by Christopher L. Johnsrude, M.D., M.S., a pediatric electrophysiologist and cardiologist also with Norton Children’s Heart Institute. With constant monitoring, the pacemaker was adjusted to keep Aggie’s heart beating at an appropriate rate. Aggie did very well and was discharged home after an otherwise uneventful hospital stay.

“Being the parent of a 1-year-old is already overwhelming, but when your child has faced more medical challenges in their first year than many people do in a lifetime, the weight feels indescribable,” Hailey said. 

Support while meeting milestones 

Aggie’s recovery brought challenges of its own. Her family had to protect her healing chest, limiting some of the activities babies naturally do during development, like crawling or tummy time.   

Aggie couldn’t learn to crawl in the traditional way. Instead, she would scoot on her bottom. Walking was delayed as her family waited until her chest had healed enough to help her practice safely. But with time and support, Aggie still met her developmental milestones.  

Hailey also remembers those who made the hardest days easier, including happy visits from Dunkin, the facility dog at the hospital.  
 
“Her care team has been nothing short of incredible — compassionate, attentive, and committed every step of the way,” Hailey said. “They don’t just treat your child; they support your whole family, offering reassurance in moments when it’s hardest to find.” 

Aggie continues to receive coordinated care at Norton Children’s, including ongoing follow-up with cardiologists at Norton Children’s Heart Institute. In addition, she sees specialists with gastroenterology, neurology and, more recently, genetics, as her physicians work to understand unexplained fevers and other symptoms that have appeared from time to time.  

From heart surgery to gymnastics and team sports

Aggie is now 3 years old and doing great with her pacemaker. Even though her first years included hospital stays, heart monitoring and surgeries, she now gets to enjoy life as an active preschooler. 

She recently started gymnastics, is playing soccer and plans to play T-ball. In August 2026, she took the field at a Racing Louisville FC match as a Norton Children’s Superhero of the Match.  For her family, these are the moments mean everything — and prove just how far their strong little girl has come.