A heart and a hug
Four-year-old Matthew Hatcher was first diagnosed with a congenital heart defect (CHD) while still in utero. CHD is the most common birth defect in infants, with approximately one in 100 children born with some type of structural problem in the heart, only half of which are diagnosed prior to birth. Such structural problems impact the flow of blood through the heart, lungs and brain. Matthew spent the first three years of his life in and out of NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital under the care of Dr. Michael Sheldon Snyder, pediatric cardiologist.
Today, Matthew, also known to his family as their “Little CHD Warrior” is doing well and this past Mon., Feb. 25th, he brought more than 100 heart-shaped pillows for all babies and toddlers in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, which can provide comfort and relief from coughing after open heart surgery.
