Tiny heart, mighty fight

Ashley Jimenez went into labor just before 30 weeks, and her world changed in an instant. Her son Jordan was born weighing only 2 pounds, 9 ounces. He was rushed to Medical City Children's Hospital, where doctors discovered a rare and life-threatening heart defect called infradiaphragmatic total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR), a condition where blood from the lungs can't reach the heart properly.

This condition is especially critical in premature babies, but with timely intervention and highly specialized care, Jordan's care team made his recovery possible. Jordan defied the odds. He had two minimally invasive cardiac procedures in the cath lab, allowing him to stabilize, grow and get stronger before his open-heart surgery that restored proper blood flow.

After two months, he was discharged. Today, this tiny warrior has grown to a healthy 9 pounds, 7 ounces and continues to amaze his care team and family every day.

The most meaningful part of their experience was the unwavering support from every doctor, nurse and specialist they encountered. As his father, Kevin Jimenez, shared, "The staff helped us get through this incredibly difficult time. Every step of the way, everything was explained thoroughly. They never hesitated to re-explain things, no matter how many questions we had. They truly took the time out of their day to make sure we felt informed and supported."