{"id":6728,"date":"2019-07-20T08:00:45","date_gmt":"2019-07-20T13:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=6728"},"modified":"2026-02-24T16:20:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T22:20:54","slug":"born-with-a-congenital-heart-defect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/born-with-a-congenital-heart-defect\/","title":{"rendered":"Born with a heart defect, no one thought he’d live long. Now he’s 72"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Jim Brandon, tomorrow has never been guaranteed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been lucky \u2013 very lucky. And I\u2019m going to fight for every year I can get,\u201d Jim said.<\/p>\n

So far, that attitude has gotten him through 72 years.<\/p>\n

Jim was born May 20, 1947, with a congenital heart condition called tetralogy of Fallot<\/a>, which makes it difficult for the heart and lungs to properly oxygenate blood.<\/p>\n

Today, this condition can be diagnosed during a sonogram<\/a> or newborn screening, but in the 1940s, Jim became what used to be called a \u201cblue baby.\u201d Because his blood wasn\u2019t properly oxygenated, his lips often had a bluish color. As a toddler, Jim would take a few steps, then crouch down to rest.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven the least bit of exertion, I would turn blue,\u201d he said, touching his lips.<\/p>\n

Jim\u2019s lifetime has coincided with the emergence of congenital heart repair as a medical specialty. Thanks to pioneers in medicine \u2013 and some luck \u2013 he\u2019s outlived his life expectancy many times over.<\/p>\n

A series of surgeries<\/h2>\n

\"RecordJim\u2019s first heart surgery was April 7, 1949, a few weeks before he turned 2 years old. He traveled with his parents from their home in a small town in Indiana to Chicago, where Dr. Willis J. Potts developed a procedure to treat blue baby syndrome just three years before.<\/p>\n

The family arrived at Children\u2019s Memorial Hospital with a blue-lipped toddler and hope they could extend his life by a few precious years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt had to be horribly scary. My life expectancy without the operation was maybe 6 years old,\u201d Jim said.<\/p>\n

Jim\u2019s parents were in awe when he graduated high school \u2013 a milestone they weren\u2019t sure he\u2019d ever reach. Soon after he started college, he began feeling more and more tired.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was just part of getting older,\u201d Jim said. But at an annual checkup, doctors told him his heart wasn\u2019t keeping up with his growing body.<\/p>\n

He had his second heart surgery at age 21. Again, Jim and his family hoped this would buy him more time.<\/p>\n

A few years later, Jim was preparing to move for a job. He sat down with Shirley, the girl he\u2019d been dating, and told her maybe they should consider going their separate ways.<\/p>\n

He explained the complexity of his congenital heart condition, and that he didn\u2019t know how long his heart would last. He didn\u2019t want to be a burden to her if his heart should eventually, inevitably fail<\/a>. But she rejected his argument.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018Well, we\u2019ll just enjoy our time together,\u2019 and so far we\u2019ve had 39 years,\u201d said Shirley, his wife.<\/p>\n

Jim has lived his entire life with that attitude \u2013 not knowing how much longer it would last, but being grateful for every passing day.<\/p>\n

A medical marvel<\/h2>\n
\"Congenital

Shirley and Jim Brandon<\/p><\/div>\n

One of Jim\u2019s most complex heart surgeries came in 1983, when he had a total correction performed at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he\u2019s traveled for follow-up appointments every year since.<\/p>\n

Treatment of adults with congenital heart disease was a new specialty, and doctors who could care for a heart like Jim\u2019s were few and far between.<\/p>\n

Before the surgical procedures developed by Dr. Potts and others, very few children born with heart defects survived into adulthood. Likewise, few doctors had experience providing this specialized care to adults. Traveling a long distance seemed a small price to pay for the care he needed.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Jim was in the hospital at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center<\/a> in Peoria when an advanced practice registered nurse walked into the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand you\u2019re a bit of a relic,\u201d Kristi Ryan, APRN<\/a>, said.<\/p>\n

As part of the Adult Congenital Heart Program<\/a> at OSF HealthCare Children\u2019s Hospital of Illinois<\/a>, Kristi works with adults like Jim who were born with a congenital heart condition \u2013 but it\u2019s not often she gets to meet someone of Jim\u2019s age and history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe surgeries he had were done by some of the pioneers of congenital heart surgery. He had a Potts shunt surgery performed by Dr. Potts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

While meeting Jim and listening to his unique heartbeat was an exciting opportunity for Kristi and her colleagues, meeting them was perhaps just as surprising for Jim. He\u2019s been living with congenital heart disease for longer than the OSF Children\u2019s Hospital program<\/a> has been operating, and he had no idea that specialists were available so close to his home in Morton.<\/p>\n

Congenital heart care close to home<\/h2>\n

\"CongenitalThe same week he was in the hospital, OSF Children\u2019s Hospital received word it had earned accreditation<\/a> from the Adult Congenital Heart Association as a comprehensive care center \u2013 a designation held by only 30 programs nationwide.<\/p>\n

Because of his long standing relationship, Jim will still continue to see his Mayo Clinic doctor when necessary. But now, he will also see Dr. Marc Knepp<\/a> at OSF Children\u2019s Hospital, receiving comprehensive adult congenital heart care much closer to home, so he can continue to beat the odds.<\/p>\n

Knowing his heart was at risk from the start, Jim has always been careful to know his limits and to take a rest when he needs it.<\/p>\n

He keeps in shape walking his dog a minimum of two miles every day. After raising two children, Jim still works in hardware and software repair, though he\u2018s looking forward to his retirement this year so he and Shirley can spend more time traveling and hiking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf my parents were to know that I\u2019m still living at 72, they would not believe it,\u201d Jim said. \u201cBut tetralogy of Fallot is not a death sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the right care, it can be part of a very long, healthy life.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve always been in the right place at the right time, with the right people,\u201d Shirley, said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Jim Brandon, tomorrow has never been guaranteed. \u201cI\u2019ve been lucky \u2013 very lucky. And I\u2019m going to fight for every year I can get,\u201d Jim said. So far, that attitude has gotten him through 72 years. Jim was born May 20, 1947, with a congenital heart condition called tetralogy of Fallot, which makes it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":6822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[118,105,223],"tags":[700,106,193,142],"coauthors":[757],"class_list":["post-6728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-birthing-center","category-cardiovascular","category-patient-story","tag-congenital-heart","tag-heart-disease","tag-heart-surgery","tag-childrens-hospital-of-illinois"],"yoast_head":"\nBorn with a congenital heart condition, no one thought he'd live long. 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