Heart To Heart With Anna

Send us a textWhy would a Heart Warrior choose to become a Nurse Practitioner? What does the liver and liver health mean to a Fontan Heart Warrior? What does the future hold for people with single ventricle hearts and compromised livers?Mary is a 29-year-old female with hypoplastic right heart syndrome, atrial septal defect, transposition of the great vessels, and coarctation of the aorta. At 9 days old, she had the Norwood, then at 3-6 months old, the Glenn, and Fontan around 2 years old. After the Fontan, she saw her pediatric cardiologist semiannually for routine checkups but overall felt like a “normal” child. At 15, she started having increased fatigue, which led to a pacemaker/defibrillator implantation. She was so inspired by the healthcare providers caring for her that she earned a nursing (BSN) and Nurse Practitioner degree (Doctor of Nursing Practice - DNP). She began working as a nurse practitioner in Gastroenterology and eventually hepatology. She is passionate about working with congenital heart