Possibilities - Children's Hospital Central California

Born a sturdy 8 pounds 2 ounces, JessicaCaplener wasn’t the picture of health.Shortly after birth, she started turning blue,her body wasn’t getting enough oxygen.the addition of Dr. Owada and the new CardiacCatheterization Laboratory at Children’s in 1997.“They are very organized and professional but alsokind,” says her mother, Nancy Caplener.“She had no artery from her heart to her lungs, alethal condition,” says Children’s cardiologistDr. James Prochazka. The newborn was diagnosedwith a congenital heart defect. There was no wayfor blood to travel from the heart to the lungs to berefreshed with oxygen.“Dr. Prochazka told us that there’s hope,” recalls herfather, Ronald Caplener. “He got us to realize thatgood was going to come from it.”Jessica had a series of staged operations, essentiallyreassembling her pulmonary arterial system. Theoperations started in the 1990s in Southern California.Twelve years and still on a roll, the dependableDr. Prochazka and Children’s cardiology teamcontinue to give Jessica checkups every six monthsand monitor her condition.“Jessica’s done very well following her reconstructiveprocedure,” says Dr. Prochazka. “We’re extremelyproud of her outcome. She has no symptoms.”“Children’s has been her home base, we wouldn’thave it any other way,” says Ronald. “It’s not a big,scary place. You walk in and see kids being pulledin wagons.”Easing the LoadPhoto SponsorThe employees ofParamount Agribusinessand the Paramount familyof companies.The Players: Dr. Carl Owada, Dr. James Prochazka and the physicians and surgeonsof the Jane Seddon Willson Heart Center at Children’sThe first operation was at UCLA, and all subsequentsurgeries have been at The Jane Seddon Willson HeartCenter at Children’s Hospital Central California,among the best in the U.S. for treating congenitalcardiovascular disease. Children’s maintains someof the highest survival rates among children’shospitals nationwide.Hampered by early complications, Jessica pulledthrough and recovered. Dr. Prochazka managed hercondition, treating her with heart medications betweensurgeries while Children’s cardiologist Dr. Carl Owadaand the cardiology team completed the surgicalcrafting to reconstruct the flow of blood to andwithin her lungs. Jessica’s progress was aided byThe family recently attended an air show where Jessicaand her father went for a ride on a 1929 vintage planeand a helicopter. “I was a little nervous about that,”she admits.Jessica is firmly grounded in her real passion,photography. The creative left-hander roams aroundthe family’s home in Merced with her camerasnapping photos.“I like taking photos of my dog and my cats,” says theaspiring photographer.Now the picture of health, she could become the nextAnsel Adams, leaving a trail of artwork that couldsomeday be prominently displayed at Children’s forfuture cardiology patients – like herself – to admire.Sponsored byMax & MartyFlaming