January 8, 1999

Jennifer and Bob DiMartino are not so different from most parents elated over the arrival of their first-born. Jennifer's pregnancy was normal by anyone's standards, and her son was born Nov. 13 at the MGH. Jennifer, however, is not a typical MGH patient.

Jennifer began a long-standing relationship with the MGH one month after her own birth. She was diagnosed with congenital heart disease after the detection of a heart murmur. Mortimer Buckley, MD, of MGH Cardiovascular Surgery, performed Jennifer's first open-heart surgery when she was 3 years old; she underwent a subsequent procedure at age 17 and a valve replacement at age 23.

In 1992, when Jennifer's heart rate declined to 20 beats per minute, J. Warren Harthorne, MD, of MGH Cardiology, performed a submammary pacemaker insertion — a technique in which the pacemaker is inserted underneath the breast as opposed to a conventional implant placed in the upper chest just below the clavicle. This more cosmetic technique was perfected at the MGH.

When Jennifer married Bob two years later, it seemed unlikely that they would have children because of Jennifer's medical history. But accepting limitations is simply not the style of this 29 year old. When Harthorne first met Jennifer, what he discovered was a woman with "a feisty determination to lead a normal, unrestricted life."

Jennifer refers to her partnership with Harthorne as "a great turning point because he was the first person who was very positive about my having children." Harthorne has good reason for this optimism, because he participated in the management of one of the first successful open heart surgeries on a pregnant woman in 1966.

When Jennifer became pregnant, she was placed in the care of Michael Greene, MD, of the MGH Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Service, who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. "The pregnancy was the most wonderful experience of my life," says Jennifer. "Our son is a miracle and a blessing."

Jennifer and Bob have decided not to have more children because of a medical crisis that occurred when she experienced postpartum complications upon her return home. During a change in the blood thinning drugs necessary because of her replacement valve, Jennifer experienced persistent, life-threatening bleeding that the medical team worked four days to control, requiring her to be hospitalized again.

Since her successful recovery, Jennifer speaks with great poise and self-assurance about peace with the past and confidence in the future.

"The MGH is like my family," says Jennifer. "This hospital has been part of my life since I was 1 month old. I rely on my caregivers for so much. I trust them and owe it to them to keep myself healthy because they have invested so much in making me well."