--- title: "Patient’s Energy Restored with a Minimally Invasive Heart Repair | Sutter Health" description: "Hope had a surgical repair done for her congenital heart disease when she was child." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/patients-energy-restored-with-a-minimally-invasive-heart-repair-1042868327" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Patient Stories](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) / 3. Patient’s Energy Restored with a Minimally Invasive Heart Repair # Patient’s Energy Restored with a Minimally Invasive Heart Repair Hope Parsley had open-heart surgery as a toddler. Decades later, a second repair required only a small incision Sutter Medical Center * * * 2022 > I never attributed being tired to my heart. At the tender age of 3, Hope Howard Parsley underwent open-heart surgery to repair a congenital defect: a hole in her heart. The surgery was a success, and she lived a normal and energetic life. More than four decades later, however, she constantly felt drained and lethargic. But, she says, “I never attributed being tired to my heart.” After a scary episode with a racing heartbeat and arm pain, Hope’s local hospital sent her to Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento. There she met Pei-Hsui Huang, M.D., medical director of the Adults with Congenital Heart Disease Program. After some tests, “Dr. Huang explained that I had a repair that lasted 47 years and that at this point, it failed and needs to be replaced,” Hope says ## Discover similar stories Choose a service topic below to read more stories like this one. [Adult congenital heart disease](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories?verticalKey=patient_story&facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_services.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Adult+congenital+heart+disease%22%5D%7D%5D)[Cardiovascular imaging and diagnostic services](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories?verticalKey=patient_story&facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_services.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Cardiovascular+imaging+and+diagnostic+services%22%5D%7D%5D)[Heart and vascular](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories?verticalKey=patient_story&facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_services.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Heart+and+vascular%22%5D%7D%5D) ## Your Partners in Heart Health Your cardiovascular health can’t wait. Come to us for advanced heart care, from blood pressure management to transplants. [Request a Referral](https://www.sutterhealth.org/referrals) ## Explore where care happened ![Sutter Medical Center](https://dyn.mktgcdn.com/p/2kQMY1wA5INTAZa0Iluyde2TUhIY2YgHfodZpv-4hDE/fit=crop,gravity=auto,dpr=2,width=432,height=287,quality=75) [Sutter Medical Center](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-location/facility/sutter-medical-center-1043247406) ## Related articles [View all articles](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) - Patient story ### [Joe Cotchett: Tough Lawyer, Kind and Generous Man](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/joe-cotchett-tough-lawyer-kind-generous-man-1042868309) Renowned lawyer rallies for Mills-Peninsula - Patient story ### [10 years of innovation at Cardiac Cath Lab](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/10-years-of-innovation-at-cardiac-cath-lab-1042868377) Generous donations are helping upgrade two cardiac catheterization labs. - Patient story ### [How a New Approach Allows Beat to Go on Without Heart Surgery](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/how-a-new-approach-allows-beat-to-go-on-without-heart-surgery-2023563905) Bill Oaks, a Bay Area musician, strikes a chord of triumph in his battle with heart failure. 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Testimonials or statements made by any person(s) within this site are not intended to guarantee outcomes or substitute for medical advice._ ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/patients-energy-restored-with-a-minimally-invasive-heart-repair-1042868327#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Patient Stories","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Patient’s Energy Restored with a Minimally Invasive Heart Repair"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/patients-energy-restored-with-a-minimally-invasive-heart-repair-1042868327#videoobject","name":"Finding Hope With the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic","inLanguage":"en-US","thumbnailUrl":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/817826402001/7785d845-8365-4289-8b8d-5a3b36cadce3/99ae2849-7d54-4333-8144-c9c92a7c9793/1280x720/match/image.jpg","uploadDate":"2019-09-09T22:32:48.848Z","embedUrl":"https://players.brightcove.net/817826402001/79bcaa57-54d7-453c-9f1f-8ab3ef7b15de/index.html?videoId=6083898744001","description":"Hope had a surgical repair done for her congenital heart disease when she was child. After visiting the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic as an adult, she learned her repair had failed. The clinic team got her back to her active life. ","duration":"PT2M31S","transcript":"HOPE: I was born with a congenital heart defect.\nI had a hole in my heart.\nI would sit at the front windows of the living room\nand cry because I couldn't go outside and play.\nThey did surgery to repair the hole.\nThen I was able to go outside.\nI was able to be active and participate in sports\nand normal activities.\nI never attributed being tired to my heart.\nIn 2017, I wasn't feeling very well.\nAnd I was taken to the local hospital\nand was very grateful that the on-call cardiologist there\nsent me to Sutter Medical to see Dr. Huang.\nPEI-HSIU HUANG: Having congenital heart disease,\na lot of patients get told that once they have their surgeries,\ntheir heart condition is fixed.\nBut that's really far from the truth.\nWhat ends up happening is that patients over time need\ncontinued follow up.\nBecause there can be late complications.\nAnd the point of the adult congenital heart disease\nprogram at Sutter Medical Center is\nto provide the specialists who can tell you if everything's\ngoing well or not.\nHOPE: Doctor Huang explained that I had\na repair that lasted 47 years.\nAnd that at this point, it failed.\nAnd it needs to be replaced.\nPEI-HSIU HUANG: When people come to the adult congenital heart\ndisease clinic, you really get care\nfrom multiple different specialists.\nBecause we talk about cases.\nIn Hope's case, she was discussed\nat a conference where cardiac surgeons,\npediatric cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists, intensivists\nwere there.\nWe came to the consensus that rather\nthan having her go through another open heart surgery,\na transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement was\nthe right treatment for her.\nPatients usually can go home in a day or two after that.\nHOPE: I was there just overnight.\nOnce I got home and took a nap, I got right up and took a walk.\nMy poor dog, she thought we were never going to stop.\nIt was fantastic.\nI just had a lot of energy.\nAnd I've had a lot of energy since.\nMy family can't keep up with me.\nI take care of my husband.\nI take care of my mom.\nPEI-HSIU HUANG: Oh, it makes a huge difference.\nIt means she can go back to being Hope.\nThese relationships that we have with patients\nin the adult congenital heart disease clinic are lifelong.\nHOPE: I've learned through this experience\nthat it's very important to have a checkup with a cardiologist.\nI will follow up once a year."} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/patients-energy-restored-with-a-minimally-invasive-heart-repair-1042868327#article","name":"Patient’s Energy Restored with a Minimally Invasive Heart Repair","headline":"Patient’s Energy Restored with a Minimally Invasive Heart Repair","abstract":"Hope had a surgical repair done for her congenital heart disease when she was child.","description":"Hope had a surgical repair done for her congenital heart disease when she was child.","keywords":["Heart health","Adult congenital heart disease","Cardiovascular imaging and diagnostic services","Heart and vascular"],"datePublished":"2022-01-01","dateModified":"2026-08-14","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/patients-energy-restored-with-a-minimally-invasive-heart-repair-1042868327","inLanguage":"en-US","isAccessibleForFree":true,"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/patients-energy-restored-with-a-minimally-invasive-heart-repair-1042868327","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/patients-energy-restored-with-a-minimally-invasive-heart-repair-1042868327#breadcrumblist"}},"author":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://dyn.mktgcdn.com/p/aGowEjLL6Eco3dwyK2HS1f4A8NS7B7-sewDTAnSVLY0/fit=crop,gravity=auto,width=1200,height=630"},"video":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/patients-energy-restored-with-a-minimally-invasive-heart-repair-1042868327#videoobject"},"articleBody":"At the tender age of 3, Hope Howard Parsley underwent open-heart surgery to repair a congenital defect: a hole in her heart. The surgery was a success, and she lived a normal and energetic life. More than four decades later, however, she constantly felt drained and lethargic. But, she says, “I never attributed being tired to my heart.” After a scary episode with a racing heartbeat and arm pain, Hope’s local hospital sent her to Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento. There she met Pei-Hsui Huang, M.D., medical director of the Adults with Congenital Heart Disease Program. After some tests, “Dr. Huang explained that I had a repair that lasted 47 years and that at this point, it failed and needs to be replaced,” Hope says"} ```