Pennsylvania Boy Lives After Being Born With Heart Outside Body
Ryan Marquiss is a very lucky boy after being born with a rare condition that led to half his heart to be formed outside of his body. The Pennsylvania boy was born with ectopia cordis, which made his heart protrude out from his body, covered only by a thin membrane. Only about five to eight out of a million infants that are born with the condition survive. But Ryan’s condition was worse because he also suffered from hypoplastic right heart syndrome, which is a condition that only has the left side of the heart developing properly.
The condition was first discovered during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, but his parents, Leighann and Henry Marquiss, didn’t want to terminate the pregnancy. Now three years old, Ryan has undergone many operations and doctors believe he is the only child to survive these two deadly heart conditions.
Kristie Bertucci
