Nayeli’s heart has a single ventricle and a single A-V valve connecting both right and left atria to the single ventricle. Both the aorta and pulmonary artery come out of the single ventricle. Since unoxygenated blood coming from the body via the right atria mixes with oxygenated blood coming from the lungs via the left atria, she has blood pumped to her body that is not fully oxygenated. Ultimately, she will need a surgery called like the Fontan procedure so that unoxygenated blood would return from the body directly to the lungs (bypassing the ventricle). For this to be successful, there cannot be pulmonary hypertension. So, first Nayeli needs to have a catheterization to measure pulmonary artery pressure to see if she is a candidate for surgery.

      Now, as you probably are thinking, I did not write the above paragraph. I was planning for Nayeli to have the catheterization on the 6th of November but did not feel the timing was right. For now, she is gaining some weight and learning a little Spanish. She is a beautiful, Quichua princess and she brightens the house with her smile and tender heart.