A Lifetime With CHD: Surgeries, Hope, and the Love of Christina
From childhood surgeries to adult care, a journey of resilience, love, and unwavering support.
I was born with a congenital heart defect—a double-outlet right ventricle—a condition that shaped my life from the very beginning. At just nine months old, I underwent pulmonary artery banding, a first step in a long journey of surgeries and medical care. By the time I was five, I faced reparative surgery, a procedure that would define my childhood and teach me the first lessons about resilience, courage, and the fragility of life.
Being adopted added another layer to that journey. With gaps in my medical history and questions about my origins, navigating my health was often complicated by uncertainty. There were moments of fear, frustration, and isolation—challenges familiar to many of us in the congenital heart community—but they were balanced by the steadfast care I received and the strength I learned to cultivate along the way.
Decades passed, and my heart continued to carry me through life, each surgery and each checkup a reminder that congenital issues don’t simply disappear with age. At fifty-five, I returned once again to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh—now in its modern Lawrenceville location—for a major surgery: a double valve replacement. My aortic valve was replaced with a mechanical valve, and my pulmonary valve with a bioprosthetic valve. It was a profound full-circle moment—the hospital that cared for me as a child in the 1970s at its Oakland location had grown and evolved, yet its dedication to patients remained unwavering.
Through it all, I have been blessed with the unwavering love and support of my wife, Christina. She has stood by me through the adult version of all my medical challenges, turning each difficult moment into an opportunity for connection, hope, and shared strength. Her presence has transformed what could have been a story defined by surgeries and scars into a story of love, resilience, and triumph.
Today, I can say that my journey has been guided by exceptional care, unyielding perseverance, and the love of my life. It has been Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh—first in Oakland, now in Lawrenceville—but I also caught the companion I had been searching for: my wife Christina, who has walked beside me through it all.
