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Young Cardiac Patients Reunite with Caregivers for Heartfelt Celebration
February 12, 2025
For one magical evening, nearly 60 children who were born with cardiac defects and their families reunited with the caregivers who helped save their lives. The celebration was hosted by the Patel Children’s Heart Institute at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital and held at the Glazer Children’s Museum in Tampa on Feb. 8.
The annual heart reunion celebrates the young children battling cardiac defects and the extraordinary caregivers who are dedicated to healing their hearts. This year's event was generously sponsored by Rob and Stephanie Clarke of Tampa.
For Dr. J. Blaine John, BayCare Medical Group pediatric and fetal cardiologist, the highlight of the evening was watching his patients run around the museum, playing with other kids and having a blast.
“Seeing the pure joy the children were experiencing, along with their parents, is why we do what we do,” Dr. John said. “It was also heartwarming to see the families mingle with each other. There are many wonderful congenital cardiac support networks in the community, but often it takes meeting face-to-face for some families to take the first step in reaching out to others.”
Among the patients who attended the reunion was 14-year-old Santiago Przybycin, who was recently diagnosed with the rare cardiac anomaly unicuspid aortic valve with aortic insufficiency and aortic stenosis. In this malformation, there is only one leaflet in the aorta instead of three, leading to both a narrowing and leakage of blood flow through the aortic valve.
As a special treat during the event, Santiago teamed up with two of his cardiac physicians to perform live music throughout the evening. The trio, known for the evening as the “Heartbeatz,” included Santiago on drums, with Dr. Jarrod Knudson, director of St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital’s pediatric cardiac intensive care unit, on lead guitar and Dr. Marco Pinder, BayCare Medical Group pediatric cardiologist, on bass guitar.
“Playing at the heart reunion made me feel special and it was really cool to see other heart defect warriors having fun along with their families,” Santiago said.
His father, Matt Przybycin, added “As a family, we are so appreciative of BayCare and St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. Even though we’ve only been dealing with Santiago’s condition for a few months, his cardiac team feels like more than a group of professionals - they feel like family.”
The Patel Children’s Heart Institute at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital is home to Tampa Bay’s only comprehensive congenital heart disease program. Its team of cardiac physicians perform hundreds of procedures each year to treat heart defects in patients of any age. A partnership between St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh provides families across Florida with unprecedented access to the highest level of pediatric heart care available. Together, they provide highly specialized cardiovascular care for patients ranging from babies in the womb to adults with congenital heart disease.