Yang suffered from two serious heart problems. First, she had a congenital heart defect that resulted in her having only one ventricle, (pumping chamber), one atrium, (filling chamber), and a blockage in the artery leading to the lungs. Yang also had a very rare defect called cardiac ectopia cordis which resulted in one third of the heart being on the outside of her chest. You could actually see the pumping chamber working as it pressed against the skin.

Yang was originally turned down for surgery in her hometown of Shanghai, China. Her parents heard of our scheduled trip to Nanjing this past month, and immediately began the process of having their daughter’s name added to the list of patients in dire need of treatment.

The Kong family traveled to Nanjing where they awaited their child’s surgery. Yang underwent a successful operation and was released from ICU by the end of the week.