Tiana Waters is healthy and happy after successful treatment for a rare congenital heart disorder.
HEALTHY
EVER AFTER
THANKS TO SUCCESSFUL OPEN HEART SURGERY, A 5-YEAR-OLD LOOKS FORWARD TO A LONG, ACTIVE LIFE.
T
iana Waters likes to go to the park with her mom and baby brother. She loves riding her bicycle and scooter, and playing with her LOL dolls. She just started in-person kindergarten. In every way but one, she’s a typical, happy 5-year-old. This past August, Tiana had open heart surgery at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ) at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBI). Tiana had mitral valve regurgitation, a condition where the valve doesn’t close tightly, allowing some blood to flow backward. If untreated, it can eventually cause heart rhythm problems or even heart failure. “Letting her have the surgery at such a young age was a hard decision,” admits her mother, Beverly Mitchell. “But I had to think about my daughter’s future.”
A CONCERNING CONDITION
ROWAN WALSH, MD
Healthy Together
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Tiana was born on July 10, 2016, six weeks early, weighing 4 pounds, 9 ounces. In spite of her early arrival, Tiana was
Winter 2022
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