SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) – It was a special celebration for doctors and medical staff, who got to enjoy a heartfelt reunion with some young patients at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
A group of pediatric cardiac patients enjoyed a day of fun and love with the medical team that helped save their lives.
“This is so heartwarming. Some of these children, we see them as babies — they are unrecognizable because they are grown up. It’s hard to know who they are but it’s a lifetime commitment that we have for them,” said Dr. Shyam Sathanandam, the chief cardiologist for cardiovascular medicine at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
Thanks to Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute, each of these kids, who once dealt with severe health challenges as infants, are now getting to live a life full of smiles and love.
For Oscar Fuentes, learning his son’s condition caught their family off-guard.
“He had 14% of oxygen when he was born. They told us if he was going to survive, he’s gonna need a miracle,” said Fuentes.
Fuentes said they didn’t initially know about his condition when he was born. His remarkable recovery led to a fitting nickname in the years since.
“The first four months was very difficult for us because he has many problems with the heart and respiration, he underwent a third surgery and so far now he’s good as you can see, he’s eight years old, and now we call him ‘the miracle,’” said Fuentes.
Another mother was shocked to find out her child was diagnosed with a cardiac atrial septal defect, which increases blood flow to the lungs and forces the right side of the heart to work harder.
Despite the initial scare, she was confident her child would recover because of the care provided by Nicklaus. She said seeing the reunion now is special.
“It’s a very warm feeling because they were there during our times of vulnerability so it’s really nice to experience them again when we are feeling so much better,” the mother said.
Each of these kids went from needing open-heart surgeries in their first days of life to running around and playing games years later in their new community of fellow patients built around their hearts.
As for the team of doctors and nurses who played a part in making this possible, these moments of seeing their former patients live their lives joyfully is what it’s all about.
“Just because we fix their hearts, we still have a commitment. Just to see them with their families, interactive and running and playing, it just makes it so worthwhile,” said Sathanandam.
The Heart Institute at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital provides care for more children with congenital heart diseases than any other hospital in the state of Florida.
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