Spend five minutes with Rosa Parrish, and you can’t help but be drawn in by the 5-year-old with sparkling eyes and a bubbly personality.
Such was the experience when her mom and dad met her for the first time in an orphanage in Bulgaria.
“She’s strong and she’s very brave. She has a facial cleft that we haven’t been able to repair yet,” Anna Parrish told 11Alive. “Even though that’s the first thing everybody sees when they look at her, her heart is way more important,” Parrish said.
Which is why the Parrish family is spending Valentine's Day at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston.
“This year people are wondering what are you doing for Valentine’s Day… ‘Well my daughter is having open heart surgery.”
Rosa suffers from a congenital heart defect that includes a double inlet left ventricle (DILV) as well as Dextrocardia and Bradycardia. Her heart currently functions on very low oxygen and beats slower than average, all of which could be a major challenge as she grows if not addressed.
“It still is a scary thing…my kid's heart is going to be stopped," Parrish said. "As a parent we're very blessed that we've only had Rosa a little only a year and she's been very healthy. But there's a lot of parents that face this at two or three days old, two or three weeks old."
To cheer Rosa in her recovery, the hospital team is planning a surprise for their little patient, asking the community to fill a special P.O. Box with Valentine’s and well wishes.
The hope? Surround Rosa with love as her heart heals. #HeartsForRosa
Rosa Parrish: P.O. Box 243, Perry, GA, 31069
