Patient Stories > Markeema Harrison

Markeema Harrison was born with a ventricular septal defect, a hole in the wall that separates the right and left ventricles of the heart. This is the most common congenital heart defect and in some children no treatment is needed and the hole closes on its own as the child grows.

Markeema was monitored closely to see if the hole would close and to make sure that signs of heart failure did not occur. Everything was fine until Markeema was about four. Then she started complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath when she would run around and play. Tests showed that her heart was enlarged and the hole had not closed. Markeema had surgery at the Heart Center at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children to repair her heart. To the amazement of her parents, she was out of the operating room within an hour-and-a-half and within two hours her breathing tube was removed. Two days later she was ready to be discharged.

After watching Markeema lie on the hospital bed hooked up to tubes, her parents were excited to see her sitting up and talking a couple of hours following surgery. They marveled at her quick transformation, saying it was "mind blowing".

Markeema's parents also appreciated the approach of Markeema's care team, who gave them a step-by-step explanation of the procedure and told them what to expect following the surgery. This made them feel comfortable with the process from beginning to end and helped alleviate their stress.

Following surgery 5-year-old Markeema is back to doing all of her favorite things--running around, playing with her dolls, singing and playing her guitar and chasing the family's cat.