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Sharing hope where it’s needed most: A “heart mom” gives back
Like many parents, I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about congenital heart defects. That changed a little over 13 years ago. It was then, at my 20 week ultrasound, that it was discovered my...
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Is your school prepared for a cardiac emergency?
Sudden cardiac death claims the lives of more than 300 Michigan children and young adults (between the ages of 1 and 39 years) annually. When you think about where we could have the most potential to...
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Imagining a better pacemaker
Pacemakers have made a huge difference for children with congenital heart defects. Here at the Congenital Heart Center we generally implant pacemaker devices in children each week, for conditions...
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Family travels from Rome to Ann Arbor to save their daughter’s life
Ryan and Ellen Reedy had some challenges getting pregnant with their first child, so when they discovered in February 2013 that they were expecting, they were over the moon with joy. The two...
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Transition Readiness for Congenital Heart Disease Patients
Children born with congenital heart disease are thriving thanks to advances in diagnosis and treatment. Currently, 85 to 90 percent of these patients survive into adulthood. That’s great news....
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Show us your art, and help Save A Heart!
We have big plans in store for this year’s annual Save A Heart celebration, and we need your help! Part of this year’s celebration will be a one-of-a-kind art display and auction to raise funds for the...
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The heart of a fighter: Dan’s story
A long way from being placed in hospice at age 2. Dan, 19, is planning to attend college soon. The Pediatric NeuroRehabilitation program at Milestones is celebrating 25 years of service. Mary Foy...
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3-stars for pediatric heart care
When it comes to making decisions, the sad truth is it may seem easier for parents to choose a car seat, a refrigerator, even a house – than it is to feel like they’re making an informed decision about...
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Finding better ways to compare pediatric heart care quality
The fields of pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery have come a long way. Today, conditions that were universally fatal as recent as 30 years ago can now be successfully treated, allowing children...
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Slower can be better
A cardiac catheterization is a procedure performed by a cardiologist to diagnose and often treat heart conditions. Many patients with congenital heart disease require cardiac catheterizations. During...
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10-year-old boy worried about how Mott doctor may change his heart: Don’t...
After receiving care at Mott’s Congenital Heart Center, Buckeye fan Ivan Applin, 10, may have just a little room for Michigan in his heart. As pediatric cardiologist Dr. Ronald Grifka showed...
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Saving Mia’s ‘big heart’
(From back to front) Bobby; Mia, 4; Anna May, 7; Ella, 6; Wendy and Nina, 19. The family lived in a room at the Ronald McDonald House for 300 days during Mia’s treatment at Mott. At seven days old, Mia...
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No change of heart for 11-year-old Buckeyes fan headed to Michigan, Ohio...
C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital pediatric cardiologist Dr. Ronald Grifka and Ivan Applin reunite after Ivan’s heart procedure at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. As momentum builds for next week’s football...
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At Mott when it mattered
Like many families, the reality of how fortunate we are to live near one of the country’s top ranked children’s hospitals was not something we ever really thought about. That all changed when Danno...
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First grade ‘Miracle Class’ earns special nickname in small Michigan town
Photo courtesy of Lindsay Wilkinson Photography: (From left to right) Kaine, Thomas, Maddie and Brody have given their 1st grade classroom the nickname “Miracle Class.” The first grade class at St....
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Teen waits for second gift of life
For Amy and Pat Petrlich, it all feels too familiar. Seventeen years later they are at the same hospital, with the same fears and hopes, waiting for the same news – that a heart may be available to...
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