But most kids don't have such serious problems. For example, more than half of all children are born with heart murmurs. But of those, only 5 in 1,000 actually have a problem that needs to be fixed, he said. Usually, it is found and corrected in babies by the time they are only 4 months old. This defect is basically a hole in the wall between the heart's two pumping chambers, keeping the organ from working correctly.
Surgery can fix the problem.
And because medicine has gotten better, most children with heart problems can live like anyone else. At school, he participates in gym and recess. He loves spelling. And at the end of the day, he does his homework, helps with dinner and plays with his best friend, Clay. There are some differences, his mom, Susan May, says.