C. S. Mott Children's Hospital

University of Michigan Health System

Helping Hearts Work Well

Hi! My name is Teresa and I have been a patient at the Heart Center since I was 12 years old.

chc theresa

Most of the time, you don't even think about your heart. But some kids are born with heart problems and some kids have heart problems later on. Some hearts just need some extra help to work good! If your heart needs some special help, you may need to come to the hospital for a heart catheterization (called a heart cath for short) or heart surgery (also called a heart operation).

Walking into the hospital for the first time is like stepping into a New World, with strange sights and sounds. All the people with white coats, the sparkly clean hallways and the machines can be pretty scary. I wish someone would have told me about the ways of the hospital before I came so I wouldn't have had to be so scared. So, that's what I am going to do for you. Whether you're coming to have a procedure in the cath lab, or for surgery (also called an operation), you'll get most of your questions answered here.

And remember, if you have even more questions, make sure you ask your parents or someone on your health care team.