World Heart Day: Spotlight on Ben Parker

Despite being born with a life-threatening heart defect, from a young age, Ben saw his future in sports.

Since graduating from UC Berkeley, Ben has worked as a sports reporter, covering Bay Area college athletics. (Photo credit: Allene Salerno, @leniespictures).

Can you imagine being born with a life-threatening heart defect and limited treatment options?

Ben Parker doesn’t need to imagine. In 1989 Ben was diagnosed with Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA) at birth. At the time, there were very few hospitals in the U.S. capable of treating TGA.

TGA is a condition in which the two main arteries leading from the heart are reversed (or “transposed”), compromising blood circulation to the lungs and body. This form of congenital heart disease (CHD) results in a bluish tinge of the skin – particularly in the lips, fingers, and toes – shortness of breath, lack of appetite, and poor weight gain.

Almost immediately after his birth, Ben’s mother noticed that her baby’s skin had an unusual grayish-blue tint. Concerned, she notified hospital staff. Shortly thereafter, Ben was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart defect. With limited treatment options, and, at the urging of his parents, Ben was transferred to a hospital about 30 minutes away, Children’s Hospital Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area. There, doctors informed Ben’s parents that his heart condition was terminal, but that timely treatment could save their baby’s life. Repairing his tiny heart would require newborn Ben to immediately undergo a cutting edge open heart surgery. Thanks to the surgeon and support team at Children’s Hospital Oakland, his operation was successful and Baby Ben was given the promise of a long and healthy life.

Only days after Ben’s operation, his cardiac surgeon, Dr. Nilas Young, would travel to the USSR to lay the groundwork to develop a children’s heart program in St. Petersburg – Russia’s second most populous city. Dr. Young, Dr. Stan Higoshino, and Jo Ann McGowan would go on to establish a nonprofit organization, Heart to Heart, with the goal of developing a self-sustaining pediatric cardiac center to give children like Ben access to open heart surgery. Heart to Heart’s mission evolved, and over the next 30 years, our training teams traveled to Russia more than 50 times, expanding access to cardiac care to millions of children across the vast country.

Ben, whose parents had been told that he would not live beyond infancy, has gone on to live a healthy, active life. Within the first harrowing week of his life, Ben’s heart defect was successfully corrected, and, with the exception of routine annual cardiology check-ups, his heart condition has not required any further medical attention. Growing up, Ben was athletic: in addition to playing varsity tennis all four years of high school, he played football and basketball. His passion for sports continues today. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Ben realized his dream of becoming a sportswriter, covering news on the Cal basketball team and more recently joining Stanford Publisher for Rivals.com.

Ben and his family know just how lucky they were. The surgery that Ben received at the time was cutting edge and largely inaccessible throughout the country – today, it is considered routine. “Had I been born in Utah, where my family had moved from, I don’t know what they would have done,” Ben said in a recent interview, “I might not have made it. I was lucky to be born when and where I was.”

The Parkers’ appreciation for the surgery Ben underwent has not faded. Nor did they forget about Dr. Young and the nonprofit he founded to help children like their son. The Parkers have generously supported Heart to Heart and, in 2018, Ben’s father Scott joined Heart to Heart’s Board of Directors.

Ben’s story is incredible: it highlights the importance of timely access to medical care. He was fortunate to be born near one of only a few hospitals in the U.S. capable of repairing TGA – a condition that can now be treated anywhere in the country. But for 85% of children around the world, life-saving cardiac care is still out of reach. Parents of children born with CHD – the most common human birth defect worldwide – find themselves in a heart-wrenching situation. They know treatment for their child exists, but they cannot access it. Sadly, families like these are left to care for a sick child who will become progressively sicker and eventually inoperable. In some cases, sudden death occurs.

Heart to Heart’s mission is to expand access to cardiac care by developing new regional children’s heart centers in areas of need worldwide. We partner with teams of doctors and nurses striving to save children born with CHD in their own communities. Our vision is that all children, regardless of where they are born or where they live, will have access to life-saving heart care.

Donate to Heart to Heart to help kids like Ben born with life-threatening heart defects.