Mark Bleiweis

How siblings Aubree and Londyn Harts both got the life-saving care they needed at the UF Health Congenital Heart Center…

At first, it felt like the end of the world. Then, together, they rebuilt it. When Erin found out her daughter, Riley, was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), her family’s vision of the next few months — and years — shifted. The congenital heart condition meant the left…

With wide eyes and a cooing smile, Avery looked up as his mom and dad took turns reading from a Curious George book. Each page made the presence of Avery’s monitors and endless tubes slip further from the Brantleys’ minds. In these moments, they found stillness despite their world spiraling.

In a twist of fate, both mother and daughter underwent open-heart surgery. Now, they share a surgeon— and a story.

“It’s an honor to accept this award in the name of a physician whose legacy is a reflection of not only his medical acumen, but the kindness and respect he showed to his patients, families, and fellow health care providers,” said Dr. Bleiweis.

The University of Florida Health Shands Children’s Hospital is the No. 1 children’s hospital in Florida and stands among the nation’s elite pediatric hospitals in eight medical specialties including a first-ever top 10 ranking in cardiology and a historically high ranking for pulmonology, according to the 2021-22…

If surgery were gymnastics, a triple-organ transplant would be a feat worthy of the Olympics. It has everything: Complex and intricate procedure? Check. Frequency of pre-existing conditions that can increase risk? Check. Prerequisites of flawless technique and seamless intraoperative collaboration? Check and check. Rarely performed? Also check.