This is the Heart Journey of Trisha, as told by her mother, Tracy Pokress

Trisha is my 15 year old daughter. Since she was 4 years old, her dad and I knew something was wrong. In sports, she would just stop in the middle of a game and not know where she was or what she was doing. Doctors said it was from the heat. As she got older, strange things happened randomly and each time, we took her to the doctor, only to hear another excuse. A few months before school let out this past school year, she passed out in the street while running after school. Again we took her to her doctor, and again, nothing. A few days later she passed out in the shower. We took her to the doctor once again. Her symptoms were lightheadedness, loosing eye sight, trouble breathing and being disoriented. Because she had had all kinds of tests throughout the years, the doctors finally sent her to a cardiologist. All tests there were negative as well. By this time, her Dad and I were at a loss. On my side of the family, we had some heart problems, and when I mentioned this, her cardiologist ordered an MRI with contrast. Our phone was ringing the minute we got home. She had an Anomalous Coronary Artery. It went between the aorta and the pulmonary arteries and that artery would be "pinched" off with any exertion. We were told that we were very lucky and that she could have died at any of the "spells" she had had in the past. She had open heart surgery on May 5th of this year, and is doing great! She will even be playing High School Basketball! As you can see in the picture, (she is the one in the middle) her scar looks great and she has resumed her normal life. Thanks to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. We are very blessed!

• Dr. Albert Starr Interview: Fifty-years ago on September 21st, a TURNING POINT IN HEART SURGERY took place IN PORTLAND. A team led by Doctor ALBERT STARR did the world's first successful VALVE REPLACEMENT at what is now O-H-S-U. Before that...no patient had lived longer than three-months after such a surgery. Starr...along with engineer LOWELL EDWARDS...created the world's first MECHANICAL HEART VALVE. At least four of the people who received one lived for more than forty-years. Listen to Lars Larson's interview with Dr. Albert Starr that aired on KXL News Radio on September 21, 2010 by clicking here.

• GPU Enables Beating Heart Surgery:  Jen-Hsun Huang presented a breakthrough development in robotic cardiac surgery called "beating heart surgery". This notable development of minimally invasive surgery [MIS] benefits patients through shortening convalescence, reducing trauma and surgery costs. The aim is to make the surgery more intuitive for the surgeon and safer for the patient.
  

• Routine Surveillance of Great Vessel Stents can be Done by MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be sufficient for the routine surveillance of some great vessel stents that are commonly used to treat congenital heart defects in children and young adults, researchers have found.

• Overprotective Parents May Impact Heart Anxiety in Adults With Congenital Heart Conditions: Approximately one percent of all infants are born with congenital heart defects and over 90 percent of these children survive into adulthood, thanks to recent medical advances. As well as their medical condition, these patients face mental health issues including anxiety, neurocognitive deficits, body image concerns and difficulties with relationships. Research suggests that levels of parental protection are likely to be higher in children with congenital heart disease compared with healthy children.