Fifteen years ago, Carol Smith was a happy new mother following the birth of her son Benjamin in a St. Louis hospital.
However, doctors soon discovered Benjamin had been born with transposition of the great arteries (TGA), a congenital birth defect that an estimated 1,900 infants (about five out of every 10,000) in the U.S. are born with each year, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
Because Benjamin’s main arteries were switched, or transposed, there were two separate blood circulations instead of a single connected one. Therefore, blood with oxygen from the lungs could not get to the rest of his tiny body, resulting in a lack of oxygen heart defect that leads to a bluish-purple coloring of the skin and shortness of breath.
While very serious, Carol says she was told TGA is surgically treatable and the outlook for the vast majority of babies with this cardiac defect is excellent.
“We were shocked and scared, but we were pretty quickly assured that this was something the doctors had seen before, and that he could have corrective surgery and he would be all right,” his mother says.
The doctors performed a successful seven-hour operation four days after Benjamin’s birth.
According to the AHA, if there are no unusual risk factors, more than 98 percent of surgically treated infants with TGA survive their infancy.
Most children like Benjamin who have had TGA surgery recover and grow normally, although they can be at some risk in the future for arrhythmia, leaky valves and other heart issues.
Today, Benjamin Moore is a healthy 6-foot, 2-inch, growing, active 15-year-old on Solon High School’s boys tennis team.
“As far as I can remember, I haven’t had anything that has inhibited me from doing sports, although, just as a precaution, I don’t play football because it is such a hard-hitting sport,” says Benjamin. “Other than that, I just eat healthy because of tennis.”
He also plays a large bass drum in the high school marching band, another healthy cardiovascular activity, and undergoes precautionary cardiovascular checkups at the Cleveland Clinic every two years.
“Sometimes they just want to bring me in for a stress test or maybe a CAT scan just to make sure everything is running smoothly,” he says. “The doctors say I’m technically more at risk because of my surgery, but so far they say I’m in top shape.”
His mother realizes how Benjamin benefited from growing advancements in heart surgery and medical technology, the reason she and her family volunteer for the American Heart Association, a practice they began many years ago.
When he was six, they agreed to let the association make Benjamin a poster child for its annual heart walk.
“We wanted to show that heart disease just doesn’t occur in older people, but people of all ages, and it is possible to have corrective surgery and lead a full, protective life,” Carol says. “It is our way of giving back.”
For more information, visit heart.org/Cleveland.
