YOU’RE WATCHING KOAT ACTION SEVEN NEWS. IN HONOR OF HEART MONTH, WE SHINE A LIGHT ON EIGHT YEAR OLD KATHERINE LANGE. SHE WAS BORN WITH HALF A HEART AND WASN’T EXPECTED TO LIVE. WE SHARED HER STORY ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO. TODAY, HER FATHER TELLS US SHE IS LIVING AND SHE IS THRIVING. HERE’S FAITH EGBUONU. HOW ARE YOU FEELING? GOOD. I WANT TO. MANY CONVERSATIONS WITH MY FRIEND KATHERINE LANGE, EIGHT YEARS OLD NOW AND THRIVING. ARE YOU EXCITED? HOW DO YOU FEEL? GOOD. AWESOME. AND NOW I HEAR THAT YOU’RE CHEERLEADING NOW. HOW COOL. IT’S GOOD. YEAH, I’M A FLIER. YOU’RE A FLIER? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? I DON’T KNOW, I STAND ON PEOPLE’S HANDS. YES. AWESOME. YEAH, THEY PICKED ME UP FROM CHEERLEADING WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO’S JUNIOR LOBOS TO GYMNASTICS. YOUR GIRL IS A STAR. MAYBE ONE OF THESE DAYS WE HAVE TO COME TO YOUR SHOW AND SEE YOU ROCK OUT. YEAH. HOWEVER, A FAR CRY FROM KATHERINE’S JOURNEY THREE YEARS AGO. BORN WITH HALF A HEART. ONCE FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE AT JUST FIVE YEARS OLD. HYPOPLASTIC LEFT HEART SYNDROME, A HEART DEFECT THAT CAUSES THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HEART TO BE UNDERDEVELOPED. WE SPOKE WITH HER FATHER, GARY. BACK THEN. SHE’S HAD THREE, THREE, THREE SURGERIES, ONE AT FOUR DAYS OLD, ONE AT FOUR MONTHS OLD AND ONE AT TWO AND A HALF YEARS OF AGE. SHE’S HAD APPROXIMATELY TEN HEART CATHETERIZATIONS JUST IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS, SHE’S HAD OVER 40 BLOOD DRAWS. GARY REMINISCING NOW ON HOW FAR HIS BABY GIRL HAS COME. I WASN’T SURE WHAT WAS GOING WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. YOU KNOW, WE COULD HAVE LOST HER. SHE COULD HAVE HAD A STROKE. YOU KNOW, THE DOCTORS ARE HAPPY WITH HOW SHE’S PROGRESSING. YOU KNOW, WE COULDN’T BE HAPPIER. FAITH EGBUONU KOAT. ACTION 7 NEWS. WE COULDN’T BE HAPPIER, EITHER. KATHERINE ALSO DID SUFFER FROM LIVER LEAKAGE. BUT THE GOOD NEWS HERE, HER FATHER TELLS US HER LIVER IS IN REMISSION. KATHERINE DID START A NONPROFIT IN SUPPORT OF OTHER KIDS THAT
Katherine Lange: New Mexico girl born with half a heart miraculously beats the odds
Meet Katherine. She’s a UNM Junior Lobo cheerleader and gymnast!
Katherine Lange, 8, was born with half a heart. According to her father, Gary Lange, she was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. On Sept. 19, 2022, KOAT spoke with Lange while his daughter, Katherine, was fighting to survive. MORE: 5 -year-old New Mexico girl born with a half a heart fights for her lifeThree years later, Katherine has defied the odds, according to her father, Gary. In honor of ‘Heart Month,’ KOAT shines a light on Katherine, as her father shares, she is now living and thriving. Currently, she is a cheerleader for the UNM Junior Lobos and a gymnast. Katherine has also started a nonprofit for children who have been diagnosed with heart defects. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. We could’ve lost her. She could have had a stroke. The doctors are happy with how she’s progressing. We couldn’t be happier. There’s hope,” Lange told KOAT. What is ‘Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome’?Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a rare heart condition that a child is born with. That means it’s a congenital heart defect. In this condition, the left side of the heart is underdeveloped.According to Lange, Katherine has had three open heart surgeries at four days old, four months old, and at 2 years of age. Katherine had approximately ten heart catheterizations and over 40 blood draws. Stay updated on the latest news with the KOAT app. You can download it here.
Katherine Lange, 8, was born with half a heart. According to her father, Gary Lange, she was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. On Sept. 19, 2022, KOAT spoke with Lange while his daughter, Katherine, was fighting to survive.
MORE: 5 -year-old New Mexico girl born with a half a heart fights for her life
Three years later, Katherine has defied the odds, according to her father, Gary. In honor of ‘Heart Month,’ KOAT shines a light on Katherine, as her father shares, she is now living and thriving. Currently, she is a cheerleader for the UNM Junior Lobos and a gymnast. Katherine has also started a nonprofit for children who have been diagnosed with heart defects.
“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. We could’ve lost her. She could have had a stroke. The doctors are happy with how she’s progressing. We couldn’t be happier. There’s hope,” Lange told KOAT.
What is ‘Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome’?
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a rare heart condition that a child is born with. That means it’s a congenital heart defect. In this condition, the left side of the heart is underdeveloped.
According to Lange, Katherine has had three open heart surgeries at four days old, four months old, and at 2 years of age. Katherine had approximately ten heart catheterizations and over 40 blood draws.
Stay updated on the latest news with the KOAT app. You can download it here.
