Little Rock, Arkansas
Five-year-old Anna Katherine has endured more in her young life than a lot
of adults. Anna Katherine’s  mother, Ashley, received some startling news
from her obstetrician while Anna Katherine was still in the womb. She was told
that Anna Katherine had heart defects and would need treatment at ACH immediately
after birth.
Anna Katherine had her first heart surgery when she was just 1 day old. After
her first surgery, a “kink” was discovered in her intestines, so
another surgery was necessary to repair her small intestine. During that same
surgery, doctors also removed her appendix because it was located on the left
side of her body near her heart, and if she ever had appendicitis, it wouldn’t
have been diagnosed in a timely manner. She finally went home for the first
time one month after she was born.
Seven months later, Anna Katherine had her second heart surgery at ACH. In
early 2007, she was back in the hospital with pancreatitis, an affliction that
baffled doctors because the disease usually does not affect children. She overcame
the pancreatitis and returned to her normal life.
“The best thing about our family’s experience with ACH was knowing
that Anna Katherine was receiving the best medical care possible,” says
Ashley.
Today, Anna Katherine visits ACH every six months to monitor her heart condition.
In June 2007, she will have her third and final heart surgery, to improve circulation
to the lower half of her body.
Having a heart condition has not slowed Anna Katherine down. She currently
takes piano lessons, dance and gymnastics classes, and she loves to swim.
“It is such a blessing that Arkansans are fortunate enough to have a
hospital as wonderful and amazing as ACH right here in our own state,” says
Ashley.
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