When Ethan was born, his parents thought they had welcomed a healthy baby boy into the world. Just 24 hours later, their hearts were broken when a newborn screening revealed a serious problem.

"It was discovered that he has a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome," said Jennifer Rosell, Ethan's mother.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome is a complex and rare condition in which the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped. Doctors at Baylor Medical Center in Grapevine, Texas immediately referred Ethan to the Heart Center at Cook Children's in Fort Worth, Texas, but getting there would prove challenging. While most ambulances are equipped to care for people of all shapes and sizes, it takes special training and tools to care for the tiniest of patients. That's why the Teddy Bear Transport team at Cook Children's was called in to help. Decked out in blue jumpsuits, the Teddy Bear team carefully loaded Ethan into an ambulance packed with medical tools made specifically for babies. The team then transported Ethan nearly 30 miles to Cook Children's where he would undergo emergency heart surgery.

"It was his first time riding in a vehicle," said Jennifer.

Ethan's parents never forgot that first ride, so when his daycare recently announced they were going to hold a boxcar parade, they knew exactly what kind of car to make. 

"We wanted to go with the Teddy Bear Transport theme since it's close to our hearts," said Jennifer.

Jennifer recently posted a video of Ethan and his boxcar on Cook Children's facebook page. The Rosell's were then invited to meet the team they credit with helping save Ethan's life. 

Ethan continues to be a patient at Cook Children's. He has undergone two surgeries to repair his heart but still has one to go. That procedure is expected to be performed sometime in the next 12 months. 

Today, the Rosell's were reunited with the Teddy Bear Transport team at Cook Children's aircraft hangar in North Fort Worth. Ethan was able to climb inside one of the blue and white ambulances and he even turned on the flashing lights. Don't be surprised if one day he's an official part of the Teddy Bear team. After all, he already owns the jumpsuit.

About Teddy Bear Transport

Cook Children's is supported by one of the largest pediatric transport programs in the nation. More than 2,400 children are transported to Cook Children's Medical Center annually from Texas and its surrounding states, most for critical care. Read more here.

Kenda Hooker was 3 years old when doctors discovered a hole in the top chamber of her heart. Like many congenital heart defect (CHD) patients, she went on with her life assuming her heart had been ‘fixed.’ As memories faded, her medical records were lost and her parents, who knew the most about her condition, passed away. So when she ended up with health problems nearly three decades later, doctors didn’t know where to begin.

“I started feeling dizzy and fatigued. I even passed out a few times,” said Kenda. “Several doctors told me the same thing, ‘You’re a new mom, you’re probably depressed. I even had my husband go with me to tell them that there was something wrong.”

Kenda wasn’t depressed. Instead, she was having issues with arrhythmia and would need a catheter ablation to remove the faulty electrical pathway inside her heart. That was just the first of several unfortunate diagnosis’s Kenda would hear over the coming years.

Next, it was the severe heart defect found in her first daughter, Koralyn.

“Koralyn Marie was born April 9, 2012. We knew prenatally that she had hypoplastic left heart syndrome,” said Kenda. “She spent her whole life at Cook Children’s, we were never able to take her home.”

Koralyn’s cardiologist, Lisa Roten, M.D., said her little heart was severely underdeveloped. As hard as they tried, there was little the doctors and nurses at Cook Children’s could do to save her. She passed away at 4 months old.

With the arrival of Kenda’s second daughter, Karis, in October of 2015 came more unwelcomed news. Another heart defect was diagnosed, again prenatally, but this one was less severe.

“Karis has an atrial septal defect,” said Kenda. “She had another hole in her heart but it has already closed on its own.”

Dr. Roten says there’s no way to know right now if there’s a genetic reason Kenda’s daughters both experienced heart problems. After all, she also has three heart-healthy boys.

“Kenda is part of the first generation of complex CHD patients who are truly thriving,’ said Dr. Roten. “A lot of the surgeries we perform now were not an option before the 1980’s so we’re seeing a new group of patients who have undergone surgery and are able to lead pretty normal lives.”

Dr. Roten says there are so many of these patients that a new subspecialty has even been created. At Cook Children’s, The Adult Congenital Heart Disease program treats patients who have outgrown pediatric care, including women with CHD who are considering becoming pregnant.

For Karis, her future is full of hope. Dr. Roten isn’t sure she will even need surgery. Even if she does, it likely won’t be an open heart operation like the one her mother had. Instead, her heart could be mended in the cardiac catheterization lab at Cook Children’s, with just an overnight stay. But like her mother, she will need to see a cardiologist for lifelong care.

“The fact that people with CHDs are going on to have kids shows just how far we have come,” said Dr. Roten. “At the end of the day, it may not be the life you would have chosen for yourself or your child, but it’s not a bad life. People with CHDs are going on to live good quality lives. The most important thing is to keep going.”

About Cook Children's Heart Center
The cardiology team at Cook Children's has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric heart care. They know the unique requirements of treating the growing hearts of children, including those with extremely rare and difficult conditions. Our areas of expertise include cardiac surgery,interventional cardiology, adult congenital cardiology, electrophysiology, cardiac testing and imaging,echocardiography, fetal echocardiography and cardiac anesthesiology.