一个患有唐氏综合症的3岁孩子已经是模特和心脏大使了
By Leslie Barker, American Heart Association News
Heart surgery can be tough. It can be stressful. 虽然它可以引导家庭走上一条他们可能没有选择的道路, sometimes that path guides them smack dab into a purpose.
That's what happened to Ariel Hernandez and her family.
不到两岁的时候，阿里尔做了一次挽救生命的手术. 这是她的心脏外科医生在巴西学到的开创性手术, and news of it spread widely. 一年后，艾瑞尔接受了她的心脏病专家艾瑞尔医生的电视采访. James Hill, in Sacramento, California.
Even before surgery, Ariel, who also has Down syndrome, was modeling for major retailers, which she loves, said her mom, Kristal Hernandez. 这是一种“讲述自己故事的方式，也是一种将面孔和个性放在诊断上的方式”. 我们希望像她这样的孩子看到她后会说，‘那个小女孩长得像我!'" Kristal said.
Since the surgery, 艾瑞尔被任命为加州北部美国心脏协会的女性红大使. 克里斯托正在写一本关于接受心脏手术的儿童的书，希望它能帮助年轻的心脏病患者.
Ariel's twin sister, Katalina, doesn't have Down syndrome. 克里斯托和她的丈夫马特·埃尔南德斯(Matt Hernandez)直到女儿出生才知道阿里尔的诊断结果. 接下来是另一个启示:像许多患有唐氏综合症的孩子一样, Ariel also had heart issues. 在她离开医院之前，她的父母就被告知她可能需要手术. Instead, she saw Hill every few months to monitor her status.
去年夏天，希尔认为阿里尔已经足够大，足够大，可以进行心脏修复. 手术过程包括关闭两个孔和修复两个阀门. 典型的手术会在颈部底部到腹部顶部留下一个长长的疤痕. 但希尔认为，她是一个新的手术的好人选，在右臂下做一个小切口.
阿里尔是密西西比河以西第一个接受这种手术的女孩, which was invented in Brazil, Hill said.
“随着她的成长和发展，她的心脏不会限制她，她能够突破生命的极限," he said.
Through it all, Ariel has been a trouper, Kristal said.
"She has a smile that can light up a room," she said. "Even when she is tired or in a hospital bed, 一个小小的微笑和她的轻笑足以让你继续前进. 她有一种盯着你的眼睛和你的灵魂交流的方式."
Yet Ariel's journey has included many challenges.
While her heart is doing great, she has sleep apnea and other sleeping woes, and often gets frustrated with herself. She's stubborn about learning sign language, 这可以帮助她交流她无法用语言表达的东西——这些行为可能源于最近诊断出的自闭症.
But, Kristal said, "when Ariel is happy, she is really happy."
克里斯塔尔说:“她很享受生活，所以她让我们很容易融入她的生活。. "She has taught me to celebrate and to relish every milestone. She allows you to focus on smaller things, on silver linings."
Stories From the Heart 记录心脏病和中风幸存者、护理人员和倡导者的鼓舞人心的旅程.
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