While Megan Van Pelt and her husband awaited the birth of their firstborn, Jack, 11 years ago, they were relatively unaware of congenital heart defects (CHD). They didn't know that CHD are the No. 1 birth defect among babies born today, with a child diagnosed every 15 minutes. They had no clue that CHD are responsible for more deaths in the first year of life than any other birth defect. But a sonogram quickly changed all that.

"At my 24-week, Level II ultrasound, they found a heart defect – a severe one," Van Pelt says. "From that standpoint we were very lucky, because it was found in utero. It allowed us, and the hospital, to get ready and that gave us a great launching point. As it turned out, Jack had transposition of the great vessel (TGA). When his heart formed, Jack's aortic valve and pulmonary valve were positioned in reverse."

Van Pelt says the family was also very fortunate because they'd just moved to Chicago, which has one of the top five cardio-thoracic teams in the world. "They kept tabs on Jack until he was born," she says. "I had continual ultrasounds tracking how he was doing and how the heart was progressing."

When Jack showed signs of stress, doctors had Van Pelt deliver four weeks early. "Jack was born on October 10, and we didn't even get to hold him," she says. "They took him right away to Children's Hospital."

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