gift of life
SPRING/SUMMER 2021
GIFT OF LIFE TRANSPLANT HOUSE A HOME THAT HELPS AND HEALS
My Live Again List Kaitee Hernandez doesn’t have a bucket list – she keeps a “Live Again List”. That unique perspective sums up Kaitee’s infectious enthusiasm and exuberance. Kaitee was born with a birth defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart. It actually consists of four challenges for the infant: a hole in the heart, a narrowing of the pulmonary valve and main pulmonary artery, a displaced aorta and the muscular wall of the lower
right chamber of the heart being thicker than normal. Quite the list for a baby. The defect is known as “blue baby” and meant that Kaitee’s mom and siblings had to work to prevent Kaitee from excessive crying spells. When Kaitee was 15 months, she had her first surgery to correct all the challenges and the surgery was a success. Her family was told there would need to be a valve replacement at some point, but Kaitee went on to live a happy childhood, enjoying summers at the lake and participating in various school sports. She played the saxophone and sang soprano in choir. Kaitee loved to