3-year-old with Down syndrome is already a model and heart ambassador
莱斯利·巴克，美国心脏协会沙巴足球体育平台
心脏手术可能很困难. 可能会有压力. And while it can lead families on a path they might not have chosen, 有时，这条路会引导他们达到一个目的.
这就是发生在阿里尔·埃尔南德斯和她家人身上的事情.
When she was barely 2 years old, 爱丽儿 had a lifesaving operation. It was a groundbreaking procedure that her heart surgeons learned in Brazil, 消息传开了. A year later, 爱丽儿 has been part of television interviews with her cardiologist, Dr. 詹姆斯·希尔在加州萨克拉门托报道.
甚至在手术前, 爱丽儿, 谁也患有唐氏综合症, 是大型零售商的模特吗, 她很喜欢, 妈妈说, 克里斯多埃尔南德斯. It's a way "to tell her own story, and to put a face and personality on a diagnosis. We want children like her to see her and say, 'That little girl looks like me!’”克里斯托说.
手术后, 爱丽儿 has been named a Go Red for Women ambassador for the 美国心脏协会 in northern California. Kristal is working on a book about children undergoing heart surgery in hopes it can help young heart patients.
阿里尔的双胞胎妹妹卡塔琳娜没有唐氏综合症. Kristal and her husband, Matt Hernandez, didn't find out 爱丽儿's diagnosis until the girls were born. That was followed by another revelation: Like many children with Down syndrome, 阿里尔也有心脏问题. Her parents were told she might need surgery before she even left the hospital. 相反，她每隔几个月就去见希尔一次，以监测她的状况.
Last summer, Hill determined 爱丽儿 was old enough and big enough to have her heart repaired. The procedure involved closing two holes and repairing two valves. The typical procedure leaves a long scar from the base of the neck to the top of the abdomen. But Hill determined she was a good candidate for a new surgery in which a tiny incision is made under the right arm.
爱丽儿 was the first girl west of the Mississippi River to undergo the procedure, 是在巴西发明的吗, 希尔说.
"Her heart will not limit her as she grows and develops and is able to push the limits of her life,他说.
克里斯塔尔说，在经历了这一切之后，阿里尔一直是一个表演者.
“她的笑容能照亮整个房间，”她说. “即使她很累或躺在医院病床上, one little smile and her little chuckle are enough to keep you pushing. She has a way of staring into your eyes and connecting to your soul."
然而，阿里尔的旅程包含了许多挑战.
虽然她的心脏很好, 她有睡眠呼吸暂停和其他睡眠问题, 而且经常对自己感到沮丧. 她对学习手语很固执, which could help her communicate what she can't verbalize – behavior which may stem from recently diagnosed autism.
但是，Kristal说:“当爱丽儿开心的时候，她真的很开心."
"She's enjoying life, so she makes it easy for us to join her with that," Kristal said. “她教会我去庆祝和享受每一个里程碑. 她让你专注于小事，看到一线希望."
发自内心的故事 chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.
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