Only 8 in every million babies are born with a condition like Audrina’s. And in her case, doctors had to act practically from day one.
Audrina Cardenas was born in Texas with a rare condition called ectopia cordis, which caused part of her heart to develop outside her chest cavity. The condition had been detected during pregnancy, so the medical team was able to prepare in advance for an extremely complex surgery.
At just one day old, the little girl went into surgery for a procedure that lasted about six hours. The specialists had to carefully place her heart inside her chest and reconstruct the area to protect it.
The risk was enormous. This type of malformation is often accompanied by other complications, and survival is uncommon, so every hour after birth was crucial.
Against all odds, Audrina made it through the operation and continued recovering under medical supervision until she was able to return home to her family.
She had come into the world with her heart literally exposed, but went on to show that even one of the most fragile beginnings can become a story of survival.