Meet Jarrod Wylie

Leola, Arkansas

When Jarrod Wylie was born, his doctors discovered that his aorta was enlarged. He also had a ventricular septal defect, which is essentially a hole in his heart, and patent ductus arteriosus, a condition that causes abnormal circulation in the heart.

Jarrod’s heart problems were treated at Arkansas Children's Hospital successfully. As he returned to the hospital for cardiology check-ups, doctors began noticing Jarrod’s aorta was enlarging. Genetic tests were done and confirmed what doctors had suspected – Jarrod had Marfan syndrome.

Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder that is characterized by extreme height, disproportionate limbs, dislocation of the eye lenses and problems with the heart and other blood vessels.

“Hearing the diagnosis was scary, but not nearly as scary as dealing with the heart issue again,” says Jarrod’s mother, Cindy. “Knowing your child has a heart condition is quite distressing.”

Because of the Marfan syndrome, Jarrod has visited Arkansas Children's Hospital several times since his initial heart surgeries as an infant. The effects of his condition have required Jarrod to be treated at ACH for multiple issues including degenerative bone loss, progressive deafness and cleft palate.

Jarrod will deal with Marfan syndrome for the rest of his life. He struggles to maintain his current level of activity due to the weakening and stretching of his tendons and ligaments, another side effect of Marfan. He will also need another open heart surgery to replace the valves in his heart and he has to take medications daily to help his heart function properly.

Through his struggles, Jarrod has excelled in the classroom. He attends a regular school, where he has maintained an A/B average for the last few years.

“We are just so thankful to have Arkansas Children's Hospital so close to us,” says Cindy. “There are so many families who live far away, and we just consider ourselves lucky to be so close to such a great hospital.”