Heart Health Month Featuring Brylee Ramey

By: Ayaan Abbasi

April 30th, 2009, Brylee was born at Bloomington Hospital with nine congenital heart defects and with her heart on the opposite side of her chest.

She was immediately lifelined to Riley Hospital for Children after doctors noticed that she was blue. At the hospital, she was faced with tests to figure out what was wrong, and she received a diagnosis of L-TGA, HLHS, ASD, VSD, RAIV, STV, ARSCA, PS, and Dextrocardia, going home two weeks later. 

Over the next few years, she endured numerous health emergencies including a heart cath that resulted in heart block at two months old. After being put on a ventilator, she was released home ten days later. She had her first open-heart surgery at 6 months old after putting on weight over four months. This was followed by a second open-heart surgery 2 years later, completing her Fontan. She said that this made her “one in a million.”

Today, she is thriving. She still lives with her heart on the opposite side of her chest and continues to visit Riley for health checkups, but that hasn’t stopped her. She is able to spend her time as an All-Star cheerleader, getting to participate in competitions and even winning national championships.

Brylee also enjoys supporting Riley Hospital for Children. She has made Valentine’s Day cards for patients, participated in Riley walks, and has won awards for her fundraising efforts. 

She has even shared her story at IUDM and expressed the amount of support that she is given even after the event.

“IUDM is like my second family,” she said.

The doctors that she has had during her time at Riley Hospital for Children have made her passionate about wanting to be a cardiothoracic surgeon so that she can “help kids who are just like her!” 

We celebrate Brylee and her family this Heart Health Month to show their story and our gratitude for everything they do for IUDM and Riley Hospital for Children.