Sinha - CHDs in the US and India

I was born on February 27th, 2003 at 10:40 pm on the dot. I weighed 7 lbs and 14 ounces (and I looked a little lighter-skinned than the pic). From the looks of my initial APGAR, I seemed completely healthy, the only concern was slightly blue lips. The doctors wanted to wait since cyanosis is normal in most newborns. After a few hours, my mom asked one of the nurses to check on me in the nursery, when the nurse came they noticed that my cyanosis hadn't changed at all. It hadn't gone up but it hadn't gone away. So the doctors there ran tests such as an EKG and O2 Sat. That is when they realized I had two heart defects. 

An Atrial Septal Defect: A hole between my atria

A Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return: All of my pulmonary veins were carrying blood to the other side of my heart and therefore not to the rest of my body.

My ASD is what kept me alive with some oxygen. Immediately after the tests, I was flown by helicopter to the University of Michigan Ann Arbor Medical Facilities for a TAPVR Open Heart Surgery and a Cardiopulmonary Bypass. My repair went off without a hitch I have been healthy ever since.

Ever since my mom told me the story, I was inspired by what my doctors did for me. And when I was 11 years old, I realized that what I wanted to be is a Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgeon to help babies the same way someone helped me. And during my career, I have a goal of finding ways to detect CHDs in utero and find safer intrauterine solutions to repair and possibly prevent them from developing.