Meet Eli

Not long after she found out she was pregnant, Nathalie Toribio learned that her baby would be born a heart warrior. Having congenital heart disease meant that baby Eli and Nathalie were followed closely by the UCSF cardiology team, and once born, Eli formed a close relationship with the child life specialists who make his frequent hospital visits much easier to manage.

"UCSF made our hardest time one that was full of hope,” Nathalie says. “Child life helped silence the beeps and doctors filled us with faith and confidence, which meant a new opportunity at life for our family, and some normalcy to our journey."

If Eli could have one wish, it would be for all those other kids out there with congenital heart disease to feel much, much better.