A Georgia couple finds hope in innovative stent tailored for infants
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is one of nine medical facilities in the U.S. using the FDA-approved stents tailored for babies.
Chloe Chen pictured with her parents, Allen and Serena. (Photo provided by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta)
By Morayo Ogunbayo
Dec 5, 2025
Twenty-four weeks into her pregnancy, Serena Chen and her husband received unexpected news: a fetal echocardiogram revealed that their daughter, Chloe, would be born with a congenial heart defect that would require immediate care.
Referred to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, they learned the full extent of Chloe’s condition — pulmonary atresia, a rare heart defect where the pulmonary valve doesn’t form properly, affecting blood flow from the heart to the lungs.
eW“ tI“ uoy llew ew ew saw yrev deirt dlot ot ,ereht ekat detrats gninnalp fo ,wonk dnik ti morf ,rehtaf lanoitome ”.yad ”,dluoc sa sa dna a ehT .noitutitsnoC-lanruoJ s’eolhC ,nehC atnaltA nellA
Chloe Chen poses with her parents, Allen and Serena. (Photo provided by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta)
— — gnikrow htiw htiw nehw stisiv eht eht taht ygolonhcet ,maet .seiregrus gniraperp eno dereffo fo fo wen lacidem dnik sti decudortni ni .epoh traeh erutuf morf rof tsrif dellif gnihtyreve s’rotcod yrtnuoc xelpmoc ylesolc degnahc nageb dna dna a a ,kcotsdooW ehT s’eolhC s’nerdlihC s’nerdlihC ,snehC tuB
,raey siht rieht eht eht tnets yllacificeps .nwo lacidem ynam ekil epacsdnal ,stnafni reh rof rof tsrif ’seilimaf detaerc yletelpmoc gnignahc dna devorppa-ADF reilraE eolhC
ylurT“ ohw ygolonhcet ”,ecaps dias rosseforp erudecorp demrofrep cirtaidep ruo levon evitavonni ni rof tsigoloidrac ta ta tnatsissa dna dna a a a ,nogiL yromE .rD .eolhC s’nerdlihC nellA
stimmoc“ — — hcihw saw desu pu elbanu yllacipyt ot ot ot ot meht rieht eht metsys yregrus stnets tnets tnets .ezis ralimis deviecer wen retal tsal ”,yenruoj otni ,stnafni stnafni ni ni ni detnalpmi traeh .llaf .denialpxe dnapxe detalid depoleved nac nac yb eb eb noollab era lavorppa rehtona dna dna ,doohtluda tluda a ehT ataneR rehtO ,aminiM lacideM nogiL ADF dellaC
Chloe pictured during one of her hospital visits with Dr. Allen Ligon, a pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. (Photo provided by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta)
,yletamitlU“ t’now ot ot ot eht taht taht taht ekat yregrus tnets ehs .dias thgir etatilibaher tuo gnul si traeh evah evah laog ”,yretra rehtona dna nogiL
erew saw gnizilitu .esu ot esoht siht eht eht taht ygolonhcet stnets ralimis ,daor elbissop ralucitrap yllaiciffo dael dah rof .denialpxe nwod seitluciffid ,depoleved dluoc neeb nogiL ,revewoH devorppa-ADF s’nerdlihC erofeB
htiw eseht eht eht stnets llams seriuqer ylno ,gniogno eno fo enin derotinom lacidem si .stnafni ni gnitnalpmi .pu-wollof seitilicaf yltnerruc yrtnuoc ylesolc ,lavorppa ssorca devorppa-ADF ADF nevE s’nerdlihC
er’eW“ s’erehT“ ew ylurt s’taht taht naht ygolonhcet seiregrus .dias ,ezinoitulover ”,stneitap trap revo ruo fo on ym dnim ekil ”.emitefil ’sdik s’ti ni traeh traeh puorg retaerg annog rof leef esaesid gnisaerced lainegnoc erac esuaceb tnemhsilpmocca a a nogiL
”llup“ htiw hcihw saw .elcirtnev ot ot eht eht eht taht nekat yregrus tnets noitulos mret-trohs ehs sevres thgir yranomlup elbissop ,hctap hctap .strap .tuo traeh-nepo s’eno no ,dlo evitagen gnivom shtnom gninaem ynam mret-gnol yenruoj s’ti si tnemelpmi sih dah gnitteg rof evif ,ylimaf neve stceffe ecived detacilpmoc nac gnigdirb sa yretra ,seiretra dnuora dna retfa a a a a ,revewoH roF s’eolhC nehC tA
dnik“ hcihw erew erew saw saw saw rednu ot yeht eht eht eht eht yregrus ,yllufsseccus .tnets tnets llams ehs tup hctap ,dlo-raey-eno fo fo fo elcarim edam tsuj ”,flesti ni ni .emoh reh og rof ylimaf ,detelpmoc dellac erawa dna dna retfa elba a nehW nooS aminiM eolhC nehC
dluow htiw deraperp-llew saw ygolonhcet erudecorp eno ylwen gnikcarw-evren ,tsom otni eh rof dluoc tub seveileb .eb eb sa sa devorppa a a gnioG nehC
I“ tsrow kniht eht eht ”,oiranecs oiranecs .dias ylbaborp deraperp s’ti rof esac esac tseb esuaceb dna erachtlaeH s’nerdlihC nehC
Chloe is held by a pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. (Photo provided by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta)
gnivil“ — ot eerht s’ehs no dlo shtnom ”efil si reh reh sah enog ,rehtaf neve .sesiurc tseb dna dna gnidrocca ,yadoT eolhC 81
detnaw ot ot ot ot ot yeht meht rieht eht eht eht eht eht taht ,yregrus detroppus gnidneps denruter edivorp eno fo .stnemom slaem tsal ni ni latipsoh pleh traeh tsedrah dah evig ylimaf seilimaf gnirud gnirud reviled ytinummoc caidrac kcab dna sihT ,gnivigsknahT gnivigsknahT .UCI s’eolhC s’nerdlihC nehC retfA
erehT“ hcihw yaw ”,su sgniht sgniht ev’yeht eht eht taht taht taht .dias ,evitisop dennap ,tuo fo ylsuoivbo ton efil dnik s’ti ni evah evah deneppah deneppah rof raf tub gnisselb neeb neeb sa sa era dna a s’eolhC nehC
link
