HEART CENTER
Diagnosed
at 10 months old,
cardiomyopathy
Five years ago Mary Alice and Lester received a phone
call that would forever change their lives. A 10-month-old African American baby girl suffering with cardiomyopathy,
a type of heart disease in which the heart muscle is abnormally enlarged or
thickened, needed a home and foster parents who were willing to love her and to
take care of her enormous medical needs.
The retired grandparents knew right away
that their answer would be yes. The day
after Keri Len arrived at their home, she was taken to Texas Children’s
Heart
Center® to undergo a thorough assessment of her condition. The doctors
confirmed their worst fears. Keri Len needed a heart transplant.
Dr. Jeffrey Towbin, chief of cardiology, sat down with Mary Alice and Lester and explained step-by-step what would be happening to Keri Len
throughout the heart transplant process.
“Dr. Towbin helped us to understand what Keri Len was going
through and what to expect over the next few months. We always felt as if we were all on the same team with one goal
in mind --
helping Keri Len to get better,” said Mary Alice.
Keri Len was placed on the transplant list. Two months after
her arrival at Texas Children’s Heart Center, a match was found and Keri Len
underwent a heart transplant. The
surgery was a resounding success. Over the next few years, Keri Len returned to
Texas Children’s Heart Center every six months for a heart biopsy.
“Keri Len doesn’t remember much of her early years at the
hospital, but she does enjoy going back for her check ups,” said Mary
Alice. “We have made so many
friends. Keri Len will tell anyone who
asks that first God saved her life and then Dr. Towbin.”
Keri Len has passed the 5-year mark and now only has
to return to the heart center once a year for her check ups. She has become an energetic and athletic
young girl who loves to dance, sing, play sports and participate in beauty
pageants. There are no restrictions on
how she lives her life.
In addition to her new heart, Keri Len has a new
permanent family. Adoption
proceedings have been finalized and Keri Len is officially part of the family. She is also a sister and aunt to Mary Alice
and Lester's
three grown sons and grandchildren.
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