Saturday, March 29, 2008
Struthers 7-year-old needs a new heart
STRUTHERS — “Hi. My name is Tabitha and I need a new heart,” said the tiny girl, looking up through big blue eyes set in a smiling, elfin face.
It’s after school, and Tabitha is home with her parents, Michael and Lori Fiorenza, her younger sister, Hayley, 4; baby brother, Alex, 5 months; and her friend Julie Ritter, 8.
A 7-year-old first-grader at Struthers Elementary, Tabitha was born without the heart valve that regulates blood flow to her lungs. The condition is called double right ventricle outlet with pulmonary atresia, she informs — with very little prompting from her parents.
A double right ventricle outlet is a rare congenital heart defect in which both the pulmonary valve and the aorta arise from the same ventricle (double ventricle outlet) instead of from separate ventricles, according to the American Heart Association.
At the age of four days, she had surgery at Rainbow Babies Children’s Hospital in Cleveland to insert a shunt in place of the missing valve. At 2, there was more surgery, this time at Akron Children’s Hospital, to replace the shunt with part of one of her blood veins, said her parents.
Tabitha’s father, Michael, is a 1984 graduate of Poland High School. Her mother, Lori, graduated in 1990 from Chaney High School. Tabitha’s grandparents are John and Lois Porter of Austintown and Frances Fiorenza of Struthers.
Despite her weak heart, doctors have never restricted Tabitha’s activities, said her mother. But now she gets out of breath and tires easily, and her lips and finger tips turn blue, as if she’s cold. She is 43 inches tall and weighs 37 pounds.
For the complete story, see Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.
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