20 Dec UW Health Transplant Center celebrates first pediatric heart transplant
MADISON, Wis. — If you ask Sezar what he wants for his next birthday, his answer is immediate: Anything related to soccer. The soon-to-be 12-year-old devours videos of his favorite player as he tries to mimic Lionel Messi’s deft dribbling and speed.
Sezar’s obsession with soccer was apparent from his first moments at American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison. However, doctors quickly realized that the same heart that beat for soccer was also beating too hard for his adolescent body.
In the span of two months, Sezar went from playing soccer with his siblings to becoming the first patient to receive a transplant through the pediatric heart transplant program at the UW Health Transplant Center.
The program launched in March 2023 and marks the culmination of years of planning and preparation, according to Nikki Stafford, vice president, pediatric services, UW Health, and president, American Family Children’s Hospital. Read more…