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Premiered May 30, 2004 | Full Schedule HBO Films Home STLM Home Synopsis Cast and Crew Photos and Video Interviews Share Your Story Community

"Without their pioneering efforts, my son would not have had a chance at life." Submitted by: Patricia N., Sound Beach, NY Our son was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: a complex defect, always fatal if there is no intervention. He had three stages of open heart surgery, done by Dr. Jan Quegabeur at New York Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. He had a stroke after his first stage, and subsequently suffers from seizures, and has cerebral palsy. Despite his rough journey, he is almost 8 now and thriving. I appreciate the story of Dr. Blalock and Mr. Vivien Thomas. Without their pioneering efforts, my son would not have had a chance at life. I especially applaud the bravery of Mr. Thomas. It is my understanding that he actually created many of the surgical tools used in pediatric cardiac surgery. I include him in my prayers of thanks every single day.

Blalock, Taussig and Thomas "I recall Dr. Taussig drawing a diagram...to indicate where the incision would be made." "My sister and I were both diagnosed as, 'Blue babies' at birth." "I...appeared in Life Magazine with 'Anna' the dog." "This is the story of my encounter with Dr. Blalock." "Vivien Thomas was my Great Uncle." "I was able to know my brother." "My mother was Dr. Blalock's chief surgical nurse." "I became a patient of Dr. Blalock in the summer of 1955." "I have vivid memories of Dr. Blalock coming in to check on me." "Every doctor...looked at his chart said, 'Oh, you're a Blalock baby!'" "I was the 263rd 'Blue Baby.'" "The story was fascinating, but so incredible I doubted its voracity." "My sister Judy Marblewas born a blue baby in 1941." Blue Babies "I turned blue when I ran." "He's a testament to these doctors who so long ago perservered and pioneered this surgery." "It was amazing how pink she became." "It took my mother till I was 4 weeks old to convince the doctors something was wrong." "I did a 500-mile bicycle ride as a fundraiser last summer." "'They say I cannot let him cry.' "...I probably would not survive beyond 4 or 5 years old." "We work in a field that no one cares about until they are on the table." Congenital and Premature Babies "...Yet each morning they grew stronger." "Without the BT shunt... my daughter would not have made it to her first birthday." "Without their pioneering efforts, my son would not have had a chance at life." "My son is missing the right side of his heart." "His first surgery took place when he was four months old." Race Relations in the '50s "My story involves the first group of black men to graduate from The Citadel." "Some people believe that one person cannot make a difference." "In Tennessee in the 1930s, there were no schools for blacks." Inside HBO Films HBO Films Newsletter. Sign up to receive exclusive content, production news, special alerts and more! HBO STORE American Splendor is the award-winning story of underground comic book writer, Harvey Pekar. Video/DVD.

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