Dr. Oz: Young Girl Who Went Through Open Heart Surgery Helps Others

Dr. Oz: Young Girl Who Went Through Open Heart Surgery Helps Others

Dr. Oz had his Everyday Health Heroes segment on his show, talking about a young girl named Lorelai, who after open heart surgery found a way to help other children.

Lorelai was born missing the left ventricle of her heart. A day and a half later, she underwent her first open heart surgery. Lorelai had had 16 procedures, including three open heart surgeries. Her third open heart surgery had some complications. She developed fluid around her heart and her lungs. Lorelai was given her great-grandfather’s compression pillow from when he had a quadruple bypass surgery. She was supposed to hug it and it would help her to be able to relieve some pain.

Dr. Oz: Heart Hugs Review

The pillow was too big and that’s how Lorelai got the idea of making Heart Hugs, big heart-shaped pillows. Lorelai asked to learn how to sew when she was five years old. She started making pillows in the shapes of hearts for other children.

Lorelai said she didn’t want other kids to feel the pain she felt. Lorelai made one pillow a day to start with and they collected them and brought them to a children’s hospital so they could be handed out to patients. Now, they’ve made over 1,700 pillows.

Lorelai has made a lot of friendships through making the pillows, including becoming best friends with another little girl named Cora who is also missing half of her heart.

Dr. Oz: Big Surprise For Special Little Girl

Lorelai and her mother Shelly came by Dr. Oz. Lorelai presented Dr. Oz with a tiny Heart Hugs pillow. Lorelai was obviously very shy on the show. She said it was hard to make the heart pillows. She said her mom and volunteers help her make them.

Although a lot of the kids have reached out to her and thanked her for making the pillows, she’s never actually met them, including Cora, who she described as her “twin”. She said she talks to Cora on the phone all the time, though.

Dr. Oz surprised Lorelai and her mother Shelly with Cora and her mother Valerie, who were secretly there. Lorelai was completely surprised and couldn’t believe it. Shelly said she and Valerie were best friends, too, and had also never met. It was a really touching surprise.