Belly laughs, exploring the world, and growing up fast – that’s how Forrest Hilling spends his childhood.

Thanks to WVU Medicine Children’s, he’s able to march to the beat of his own drum, but getting his heart to keep up with him took the care of a dedicated team.

When Kelsey Konchesky and Dalton Hilling found out they were pregnant with their first baby, they were filled with joy.

During their 20-week anatomy scan, doctors noticed something unusual about Forrest’s heart. The team carefully planned for his delivery so that he could be evaluated right after birth.

An Early Diagnosis

From the moment Forrest entered the world, the WVU Medicine Children’s team was prepared.

Once he arrived,the Heart Center team confirmed the suspected congenital heart defect.

Forrest was diagnosed with an atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD), a heart condition in which there’s a hole between the heart chambers, affecting blood flow and making the heart work harder than normal.

“Forest had an echo right after I gave birth,” Kelsey said. “Dr. Pyles found two holes in his heart and one giant heart valve where there were supposed to be two. Our journey with the WVU Medicine Children’s cardiology team started right there making a plan for Forrest’s future.”
Care started right away to ensure Forrest would be able to live a happy and healthy life.

“Forrest being a stable newborn helped give him time to grow,” Lee Pyles, MD, MS, pediatric cardiologist, said. “Luckily, I got to tell the family we didn’t have to operate right away.”

As Forrest grew, his team monitored his heart condition and waited until he was old enough to fix the valve.

Big Enough for Surgery

At eight months old, Forrest was ready for the next step in his care.

Dr. Pyles referred him to Christopher Mascio, MD, executive director of the WVU Medicine Children’s Heart Center, for the surgery that created an additional valve and sealed off the hole in Forrest’s heart.

“The surgery took a little under two hours to correct the abnormalities,” Pyles said. “These operations where a lot riskier 50 years ago, but thanks to scientific innovation and our team, we now only have to see Forrest every six months until eventually he only has to be seen once a year.”

“There is a 50-50 chance his leaky valve could heal on its own, but if it doesn’t, the team here at WVU Medicine Children’s has a plan, A, B, and C,” Kelsey said. “The whole team of people just knew what they were doing. I can’t fathom all the things they did for us and just made our experience amazing.”

A Strong Heart for a Growing Boy

Forrest is now 19 months old. He’s a happy little boy who enjoys laughing, smiling, and playing peek-a-boo.

“In 18 years, you are going to bring me Forrest’s senior year football photos,” Pyles said to Kelsey following Forrest’s surgery.

The family now can watch all of Forrest’s milestones and achievements thanks to the exceptional team at WVU Medicine Children’s.

“The fact that we can do this here, and we only had to drive 15 minutes home,” Kelsey said. “Why would we go anywhere else when we have this top-notch care in our backyard?”