Patient stories

Charlie's Story

Charlie started off by calling the Herma Heart Institute's Second Opinion Program. He was immediately connected with a nurse clinician. He peppered her with questions — how big is the program, how many doctors, what national accreditations, how many surgeries are performed each year, how many of this specific type of surgery, how many of this specific type of surgery on a kid Alex’s age — and she had answers for each and every one.

Impressed and satisfied, Charlie was then transferred to the Children’s Wisconsin’s Access Center, an access center navigator, took on his case. She helped explain next steps, collected Alex's medical records and images, and got them set up at the Ronald McDonald House for lodging. She was also instrumental in navigating the tangled web of out-of-state and out-of-network insurance claims. In fact, when Charlie's insurance company was unsure of their own policies, we got on a conference call and helped sort everything out.

Alex's Story

Alex and his family traveled across the country to get the best heart care for their son.

Boone's Story

Five year old, Boone was born with three chambers in his heart instead of four. His cardiologist recommended open heart surgery at Children's Wisconsin.