West Chicago resident overcomes health challenges

West Chicago resident Giana Ferrari, 20, was born with congenital cardiac defects.

Valentine’s Day may hold special sentiments for many, but when it comes to matters of the heart, not many are as versed as Giana Ferrari, a 20-year-old West Chicago resident and Elmhurst College student.

Born with congenital heart defects known as transposition of the great arteries and pulmonary stenosis, Ferrari says heart health has played a dominant role throughout her life.

In transposition of the great arteries, positions of the heart’s pulmonary artery and aorta are reversed. The aorta is connected to the heart’s right ventricle, with most of the blood returning to the heart from the body being pumped back out without first going to the lungs. The pulmonary artery is connected to the left ventricle, meaning blood returning form the lungs is pumped back to the lungs again.

According to the experts, infants born with transposition survive only if they have one or more connections allowing oxygen-rich blood to reach the body. Most babies with transposition, like Ferrari, are extremely blue due to inadequate connections.

In addition, Ferrari’s pulmonary stenosis diagnosis meant the pulmonary valve between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery wasn’t opening properly, forcing the right side of her heart to pump harder than normal to overcome the obstruction.

When stenosis is severe, especially in babies, blueness occurs and treatment is needed when pressures become higher than normal.

“I look so normal that not many would suspect my ongoing limitations,” admits the vivacious young woman who has faced a variety of cardiac surgeries and procedures throughout childhood. “Shortness of breath and fatigue often limit what I can accomplish, how many classes I can take, where I reside and what activities fill my day.”

Congenital heart defects uncommon

Ferrari made her debut on Oct. 16 at Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, tipping the scales at a healthy seven pounds, 11 ounces. Proud parents Elizabeth and Richard Ferrari and a 2-year-old big sister were on hand to celebrate the birthday.

Experts say that like Ferrari, nine out of every 1,000 infants born each year have a heart defect. Sometimes the defect is so mild, there are no outward symptoms. In other cares, like Ferrari’s it’s so severe the newborn becomes ill immediately after birth.

In still other cases, signs and symptoms don’t appear until later in childhood.

According to the American Heart Association, congenital heart defects are rather uncommon and in most cases even top experts cannot pinpoint a cause. The good news is that recent progress in diagnosis, invasive and minimally invasive surgical methods make it possible to fix many defects, even those once thought to be hopeless.

As heart surgery advances, tiny newborns can take heart in new technologies and procedures enabling them to lead longer, healthier lives.

“Doctors initially suspected my mom was carrying twins due to the strong heart murmur they detected prior to birth,” explains the West Chicago Community High School graduate.

“I’m told I was a blue baby and required immediate intubation and emergency medical intervention including a balloon atrial septostomy to improve my body’s oxygen supply.”

Giving ‘blue babies’ a chance at life

By two months of age, the newborn had a cardiac shunt placed. As a 2-year-old toddler, surgeons performed the complicated Mustard procedure for transposition of Ferrari’s great vessels. The operation, named for Canadian surgeon Dr. William Mustard, was pioneered in the 1940s before the era of most open heart surgeries.

“I’m perhaps among the first generation of blue babies to survive to adulthood,” says Ferrari, the veteran of eight cardiac catherizations. “Thanks to these early researchers and pioneering surgeons, many blue babies like myself now have a chance at life.”

The implantation of a pacemaker, a Medtronic AT500 at the University of Michigan Hospital, has helped control Ferrari’s erratic heartbeat since age 9. Knowing that she will eventually require a heart transplant as heart function declines, Ferrari already has been evaluated by the transplant team at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital.

A dedicated student, Ferrari says medical limitations do play a role in her education.

“Throughout high school, I was fortunate to be able to take three classes and return home to rest, completing a variety of assignments later in the day at home,” she recalls. “I participated in all traditional rites of passage like homecoming and prom, but only my closest friends knew anything of my heart problems.”

Teaching others

College, she admits, is a bigger challenge. Currently taking a full-time, 12-credit hour schedule of classes, Ferrari is able to add additional credits thanks to online classes and summer school offerings. After experiencing dorm life during her first semester, Ferrari later opted to reside at home as new medication schedules necessitated caregiving support.

“I’m fortunate to be able to continue my education and for the most part live a very normal life,” says Ferrari, who recently began pursuing a lifelong interest in piano, signing up for lessons at the nearby College of DuPage.

“I’m also looking forward to spending the rest of my life teaching others about congenital defects and heart disease. My goal is to raise awareness and teach others how important it is to value your health and to take precautions to prevent heart disease.”

Ferrari says she hopes to one day work with children facing similar health challenges and to help them emotionally accept those challenges. “I’d like every person who is affected by heart disease to know they are not alone and that they have limitless opportunities.”

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