I still remember the day Koal was born like it was yesterday. Just giving birth and hearing the daunting words that our sweet baby boy had a heart problem right away was enough to make any parent panic. At birth, Koal was diagnosed with aortic stenosis. Koal had a heart cath procedure at just 1 day old. They went in through the groin and into the heart with a balloon to open up the aortic valve. He had this procedure done again at 3 months old. After that, it was years of doctor appointments, testing, and imaging to monitor it. When he turned 15, he finally had open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve. As he grew older, Koal struggled with getting winded when running and when he tried to play the trumpet in a band, even just regular playing. Certain medicines would cause his heart to beat extra fast which would make […]
