Shortly after Slade was born in October 2011, he was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. This condition is dominated by a heart that’s too big, causing the heart muscle to be very weak and have a leaky mitral valve.
Slade’s mom, Nancy, said that over the years he was in and out of the hospital for heart “tune ups.” However, there came a time when Slade’s medical team knew he needed more advanced heart care. When Slade was 9, he received a left ventricular assist device (VAD) to help pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of his body. The VAD did the work of his heart and allowed Slade to go home after nearly a year in the hospital.
The VAD was also Slade’s bridge to transplant, and it allowed him to become a candidate for a heart transplant. In August 2022, Slade and his family received the call they’d been waiting for… Slade was going to get a new heart! Together the affiliated team performed the 12-hour heart transplant surgery at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Today, Slade goes to school and loves spending time with his family, playing video games and trips to the park. He and his family are looking forward to a healthier, longer life together.
The Children’s Heart Institute is a collaboration between the affiliated physicians at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. Typically, patients are seen on an outpatient basis at a UT Physicians clinic with all inpatient procedures performed at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.