Frankie Hernandez has been a patient at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin since before the day he was born. When his mom was four months along in her pregnancy they noticed a heart defect, and the specialists from Children's Hospital were immediately called in. Frankie was diagnosed with tricuspid artresia – meaning his heart had only formed three chambers rather than four. The doctors at Children’s Hospital closely monitored the entire pregnancy, the delivery and Frankie's first six months of life.
It was at 6 months of age that Frankie had his first open-heart surgery to help improve the oxygen levels in his brain. At 2 ½ years a second open-heart surgery was done to correct blood flow to his lower body. He's had several other surgeries since then and currently goes to the Herma Heart Center for check-ups every six months.
Frankie won't ever be able to play sports like other kids, so he's found the world of bugs. In fact, he picked up the nickname, "Frankie the bug boy" while participating in the 96.5 WKLH-FM Dave and Carole Miracle Marathon. He's gone to Mexico to see the migration home of the Monarch butterfly, has a pet pink-toed tarantula and was probably the only kid on his block who dressed up as a spider egg sack last Halloween.
Children's Hospital is a special place to Frankie and the rest of the Hernandez family. It's because of his doctors and nurses that Frankie will one day achieve his dream of becoming an entomologist, a person who studies bugs for a living.
"The care we all received at Children's Hospital was nothing short of amazing," says Frankie's mom. "Everyone there is truly dedicated to helping every child live healthy, happy and fulfilled lives."