x
Breaking News
More () »

Georgia 5-year-old on the road to recovery after heart surgery

Rosa Parrish is enjoying a belated Valentine's Day thanks to community support.
Credit: Lucas, Liza

The story of 5-year-old Rosa Parrish having open surgery on Valentine's Day tugged at hearts on social media. The little girl from Georgia prompting hundreds of well-wishes and prayers for a speedy recovery.

HEARTS FOR ROSA | Helping a little girl heal after open heart surgery

Her surgery a success, Rosa is now home and bouncing back to everyday life, which now includes a pacemaker.

"It turned out, she had two holes in her ventricle and a hole between her atrial septal," Rosa's mom, Anna, told 11Alive. "Dr. McKenzie was able to repair all of those."

But the team at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta made sure that their little patient didn't miss the holiday fun. Dozens of cards have arrived for Rosa, cheering her to a quick recovery.

Parrish said the experience has been a "double blessing."

"It's just been incredible to see the outpouring of support and to have that in conjunction with her heart truly being fixed has been a double whammy," Parrish said.

Rosa will still have regular check-ups for her heart and pacemaker but will stay surgery free for the next month. Then, doctors will perform facial cleft surgery, Parrish said.

"Some people have had a tendency to look at her and just see her cleft but there's so much more to Rosa than that," Parrish said. "I love the positivity that's been around [Rosa]. It's been a joy to see people really appreciate her for the bubbly personality that she is."

Before You Leave, Check This Out