Meet Champion, Teagan

Teagan was born at a community hospital where doctors quickly realized something was wrong when she turned blue and they quickly determined she needed specialized care. Within hours, Teagan and her dad were airlifted to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where tests revealed a rare congenital heart defect: her heart’s main blood vessels were reversed. At just three days old, Teagan underwent her first open-heart surgery for an arterial switch. She remained in the hospital for 43 days, finally going home just before Christmas after her parents were trained by Child Life specialists to place her feeding tube so she could continue healing safely at home. Since then, Teagan has endured two additional openheart surgeries, three stents, and ongoing monitoring. At the age of eight, she underwent a catheterization to expand her stents. Today, Teagan is a vibrant, thriving nine-year-old. Her joyful spirit shines and she embraces life fully