Nemours Children’s Health Cardiac Center, Delaware, has reached an exciting milestone — celebrating 25 years of caring for the most fragile hearts. Since 1998, the Center has provided exceptional care for children with congenital and pediatric heart disease. Today the Center is known as a national leader in pediatric cardiology, with world-class facilities and top clinicians that excel in performing complex cardiac surgeries. In addition, our cardiac team collaborates with more than 30 other medical and surgical specialties to provide each patient with the most effective, comprehensive, compassionate care.  

Once every 15 minutes, a baby is born with a congenital heart defect. In fact, they are the leading cause of death among all birth defects — taking more children's lives each year than all forms of pediatric cancer combined. Nearly 40,000 children are born annually with heart defects, and almost a quarter need open heart surgery. There are 40 types of defects, and researchers are continually working to discover the causes and cures, which are mostly currently unknown.   

Families from all over the world come to Nemours Children’s. They seek diagnosis, treatment, second opinions and hope. Our research represents the entire range of pediatric studies, from work on the genetic causes of heart malformations and evaluating the results of cardiovascular surgery to interventional cardiology procedures and studies in preventive cardiology. Our heart surgery outcomes, even in newborns just hours old, are among the best in the nation. We treat even the tiniest, most delicate hearts, with nearly a quarter of our surgical patients being less than a month old or in utero. Nemours Cardiac Center is here to give children the best chance at a long, fulfilling life.  

Philanthropic support fuels groundbreaking treatment and research that offers hope to our patients and their families. Giving forms the backbone of Nemours Children’s — an institution born out of the philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, who lived by a simple philosophy that guides our work to this day: “It is the duty of everyone in the world to do what is in his power to alleviate human suffering.”  

Vea’s Story

For the Tsoflias family, the past year has been a roller coaster of emotions: disbelief, heartbreak and, ultimately, hope.

It all began when a routine 20-week ultrasound revealed an abnormality. Brittany, an expectant first-time mom, was referred to Nemours Children’s fetal cardiologist, Shubhika Srivastava, MD, for a fetal echocardiogram. She soon learned that her baby had a very rare congenital heart defect called Ebstein’s anomaly. The defect is an abnormality in the tricuspid valve, causing it to leak. If it were left unchecked, the condition would result in heart failure. Surgery would be required to correct the defect.  

Knowing that her baby would need highly specialized heart care immediately after birth, Brittany delivered her daughter, Vea, through our Advanced Delivery Program at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. “What an amazing experience! I felt special,” says Brittany, “because everyone went above and beyond for me.” 

Christian Pizarro, MD, recognized as a surgical expert in this type of complex heart defect, successfully repaired Vea’s heart when she was just 11 months old.   

Now, one year after surgery, Vea is thriving and mobile — crawling and stealing hearts with her wide-eyed smile. However, it’s possible Vea may need another surgery at some point, and if she does, her mom says, “We would put our trust in Dr. Pizarro all over again.”