Patient Stories > Hasan Emre

Hasan Emre is a 1-year-old who was born with several large ventricular septal defects, which are holes in the wall that separates the right and left ventricles of the heart. At the time of his birth, his parents were in Turkey on long-term business and surgeons there attempted to close the defects. Unfortunately, several could not be corrected and he subsequently suffered congestive heart failure.

Hasan's parents, who reside permanently in New Jersey, sought help from the Heart Center at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. Upon his arrival back in the United States, Hasan's parents brought him to St. Christopher's emergency department, and he was admitted to the hospital. Hasan received a full diagnostic work up and remained at St. Christopher's for several weeks while the Heart Center team worked to medically stabilize him in preparation for surgery.

Once he was strong enough, Hasan underwent complex cardiac surgery to close the remaining septal defects. The surgery was difficult due to the location of the defects and scar tissue that had formed from his previous surgery in Turkey.
Today, Hasan is fully recovered, off all medications and is growing like a weed.

For more information on the Heart Center at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, please call 1-877-871-1213.