PHOENIX (AZFamily) — An 8-year-old Valley girl born with a severe congenital heart defect has defied early medical expectations and is now a competitive dancer, thanks to a series of surgeries and ongoing care at Phoenix Children’s.
Quinn was diagnosed before birth with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition in which the left side of the heart does not properly develop. Her mother, Sandee Walker, said the diagnosis brought uncertainty from the start.
“There was a lot of unknowns,” Walker said.
Surgeries start at 6 days old
Quinn underwent her first of three surgeries at just 6 days old. Dr. Daniel Velez, division chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Phoenix Children’s, performed the procedures.
“It is a complicated operation,” Velez said. “The size of the heart is about the size of a golf ball. And, not to underscore that, yes, it is something that could be classified as crazy, what we do operating in such small structures.”
A team approach to care
Quinn’s treatment extended beyond the operating room. Walker said Quinn also completed intensive feeding therapy through Phoenix Children’s Center for Heart Care, finishing in roughly two months — a timeline her care team described as unusual.
“We did intensive feeding therapy, and they were like, ‘This is gonna take a long time. This is gonna be months, and she’s gonna need her tube for years and years and years,’” Walker said. “And she proved them wrong, and we graduated in, like, two months. And they were like, ‘This is unheard of.’”
Velez credited the hospital’s multidisciplinary structure for outcomes like Quinn’s.
“This is where the whole team approach and multidisciplinary aspect of having a dedicated venue comes into play,” he said.
Dancing through doubt
Walker, a dance teacher, said she was initially told by another doctor that Quinn would likely never dance. Quinn is now a competitive dancer.
“The craziest thing about our whole journey is that she has smiled the whole time,” Walker said.
Quinn said she looks forward to dancing every day.
“I’m really excited to just do it every day, because I love doing it,” she said.
Velez said seeing patients like Quinn grow is central to why he practices medicine.
“The reason I do this is to provide children their best ability to achieve whatever they want to accomplish,” he said. “It is very joyful to see the kids develop and evolve into the best that they can do.”
Ongoing care and monitoring
Walker said Quinn’s cardiologists regularly note the strength of her heart during checkups.
“Every time we go for an echo, the cardiologists always tell me how strong her heart is. And they always say it’s because she dances. And it’s just such a full circle moment for me every time I hear it,” Walker said.
Quinn continues to take medications and sees specialists at the Center for Heart Care at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Approximately 1,000 babies are born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome each year in the United States. Continued care and monitoring remain part of Quinn’s treatment plan.
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