By the time Mark Hanley was 14, he had undergone two surgeries to fix multiple heart defects. A year shy of high school, he learned he would need one more.<\/p>\n
Mark\u2019s mind was put at ease when he saw a 3D model of his heart from Jump Simulation<\/a>, a part of OSF Innovation<\/a>, that would be used to plan his surgery.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was kind of an out-of-body experience, but it was reassuring knowing my surgeon was able to view my heart and get a better understanding of its anatomy before the operation,\u201d said Mark. \u201cMy only concern was whether I\u2019d be able to go to school and play baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n The surgery was a success. Mark was able to go to school full time and play a variety of sports. Six years later, he is now an industrial engineering college student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign<\/a>. In the summer of 2022, he returned to the place that showed him a model of his heart to pay it forward.<\/p>\nPaying it forward<\/h2>\n