Roseville Baby Battles Rare Heart Defect at UCSF Children’s Hospital

The Smiths were referred to Anthony Azakie, MD, surgical director of the UCSF Pediatric Heart Center at UCSF Children’s Hospital, and baby Joshua Robert was delivered on September 17. Within hours of his birth, Joshua underwent the first and riskiest of several necessary open heart surgeries to reconstruct his heart. Two more open heart surgeries will be scheduled before his third birthday, and he may eventually need a heart transplant, but he is doing well after the first surgery.