Aiden Covert

According to doctors, Aiden Covert has defied the odds. Aiden was born with several rare heart defects that most babies wouldn’t survive. He had a hole between his two ventricles, arteries connecting in the wrong locations, and no valve where the valve is supposed to be. Aiden’s doctors have no explanation for why he lived, other than that the precise combination of all these defects together ended up saving Aiden’s life. Since Aiden had no heart valve, blood was unable to get to the right side of heart. The hole in between the ventricles, however, actually allowed blood to reach the heart’s right side. The collateral arteries that connected to Aiden’s lungs shouldn’t have been there, but ended up being the only supply of blood to his lungs.

		Three days after Aiden was born, his pediatrician started to hear a heart murmur and became concerned about his low oxygen levels. Aiden was admitted to the Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania and underwent his first open heart surgery on July 5, 2006, just sixteen days after being born. Aiden continued to have heart-related health problems during the first year of his life and required a second surgery on July 2, 2007. During this surgery, Aiden received the Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT Magna aortic valve , which is made from bovine pericardial tissue. Prior to his surgery, Aiden’s cardiologist, Dr. Stephen Cyran, and surgeon, Dr. John Meyers, said, “Aiden is a ticking time bomb.” But Aiden’s second surgery went very well and his recovery was amazing. Aiden had surgery on a Monday and was home by Thursday, just three short days later.
Kiley and Isaiah, Aiden’s mother and father respectively, are grateful for the extraordinary care from Aiden’s cardiologist, surgeon, and the Children’s Heart Group staff. Kiley said, “We know they have done and always will do what’s best for our child.” Now that the second surgery and recovery are over, Kiley and Isaiah are happy to report that Aiden feels “so much better” and “does more than before.” Like other growing boys, Aiden loves riding his four-wheeler, swimming, and playing outdoors. Kiley writes, “I would like to thank my parents (my father, Ronald, and my step-mother, Donna) for everything. They were always there by our side through Aiden’s procedures and surgeries. We would not have known what to do without their love and support. I would also like to thank all our friends and family for their support. When you come to find yourself in situations like this, you always learn who your true friends are. And I’m proud to say that everyone who was our friend before this is still our friend now. We couldn’t have imagined just how great our family and friends are. Now we know.” “Aiden is our little miracle! We would like to thank the Children’s Heart Group for giving our son his life back!!!!”