At age 5, Dana was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. Throughout her childhood, she had an active lifestyle—cheering competitively and playing softball. However, as she got older, she started to notice things felt off. At the end of one of her shifts, she scanned her own heart and couldn’t believe what she saw: a massive aortic aneurysm and her aorta beginning to rupture. She soon found herself in emergency open heart surgery, fighting for her life.

After a successful surgery, Dana discovered something that she brings with her into the exam room every day at Children’s: her triumph as a heart warrior didn’t come from beating the disease, but from the ongoing resilience she has built by living with it.

Today, she continues to use her knowledge as a #CHD patient to connect with patients of all ages. If they’re younger and worried about surgery, she shows them her scar and promises to be scar buddies. If they’re teenagers, she’s honest about the challenges, fear of uncertainty and strength you gain going through it. She shares that having surgery to fix your heart doesn’t make you broken—it makes you a fighter. #HeartMonth