63 years ago, she had pioneering open-heart surgery at age 4
Aug 5, 2022
In 1959, Susan Mangini was one of the first children ever to undergo open-heart surgery to correct her pair of congenital heart defects.
Stories From the Heart
Born with a heart defect, 13-year-old now thrives at dance
Aug 2, 2022
Anthony Lydon of Pennsylvania had three operations and has a pacemaker. He's proof to others born with a compromised heart that they can still lead active lives.
At 15, she knew heart disease lurked in her genes. At 37, it caught up to this mom.
Jul 29, 2022
For years, Katie Moegenberg of Suffolk, Virginia, had been told her symptoms were caused by anxiety – until she needed emergency open-heart surgery.
She was being treated for her lungs, but the problem was her heart
Jul 25, 2022
Maria Philippon of Orange County, California, had been sick for a year before a specialist figured out she had heart failure, leading to open-heart surgery.
The day before a checkup, his heart stopped
Jul 22, 2022
After a long recovery, Scott Kern of Norfolk, Virginia, transitioned to a plant-based diet, added regular exercise and shortened his workdays.
Teen with heart defect wants to help others like her
Jul 19, 2022
Peyton Bono and her mother, Courtney, of Dallas wished they'd had people to turn to while coping with the diagnosis, open-heart surgery and activity restrictions. Now they do, and they're paying it forward.
This lawyer-musician relearned how to sing, note by note, after stroke at 42
Jul 15, 2022
Paralyzed on her left side after a stroke, Valerie Giglio of Stoneham, Massachusetts, threw herself into regaining the ability to walk, talk and sing.
His heart stopped while walking a trail. A cyclist who knew CPR saved his life.
Jul 12, 2022
Christopher Holton's heart stopped while he was walking on a wooded trail near his home in Maryland. A cyclist saw him collapse and started CPR.
Young sportswriter had a stroke while at her parents' house for Thanksgiving
Jul 8, 2022
Calli Varner, 35, was about to return home to Scottsdale, Arizona, when she suddenly couldn't walk or talk.
Family's hereditary heart condition discovered after her father and two sisters died young
Jul 6, 2022
DeAnn Bartram of Ohio got a defibrillator implanted in her chest after doctors discovered she has the same genetic condition that caused the deaths of her father and two sisters.