Many of you know that Daniel has had a congenital heart problem since birth but many have wondered what it is and why Daniel needs a heart transplant. Daniel has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome or (HLHS) which basically means that the structures on the left side of his heart were not formed properly during his growth in the womb. The result was a heart that was not really compatible with life the pictures below show the difference between a normal heart and Daniel’s heart.

Therefore, since the circulation from the left side cannot provide the support needed for life these patients can undergo a three-staged surgery or open heart transplant at birth. We opted for the three stages to let Daniel live as long as he could before needing an open heart transplant.