Seventh grader gets new heart

Today I met Paola Ruiz - a sweet, soft-spoken patient on the cardiology floor who wants to grow her hair long enough to be made into wigs for kids with cancer, swim in the Olympics and be a child life specialist at a hospital when she grows up.

This 12-year-old has a congenital heart defect and needs a new heart, but that hasn't stopped her from making plans. And it's a good thing she has her future mapped out, because in just a couple of hours, Drs. Joseph Forbess, Kristine Guleserian and the heart team will give Paola a new lease on life.

Paola's heart transplant will be the 13th performed at Children's this year and the 127th since the first one in 1988. Right now we have many kids in the midst of the same waiting game that Paola just experienced - 18 to be exact. The list is the longest it has ever been.

But while waiting was hard, Paola remained optimistic.

"I got to see my family a lot since I had to stay home more and it brought us closer together."

Paola's parents are thankful for that strong bond they created with their daughter as they hand her over for a lifesaving surgery.

Stay tuned for updates on Paola's transplant and the progress with her new heart.