The Herma Heart Center, ranked No. 7 in the nation by Parents magazine, is one of the nation's top pediatric cardiac programs, specializing in the treatment of children. In an environment of hope and comfort, the goal is to provide compassionate, comprehensive and cutting edge care to patients and their families.

Vincent was born with two holes in his heart. His doctor referred him to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to have heart surgery to correct his heart defect. Even though his surgery was a success, his heart began to fail six years later.

Doctors at Children's Hospital's Herma Heart Center placed Vincent on the organ transplant list, but his heart couldn't wait. He became the first child in the upper Midwest to receive a Berlin Heart. The Berlin Heart buys time for kids waiting for a heart transplant. It does the work of the heart when it can't function on its own. Families come to Children's Hospital from across the region because we have this special device that can help keep kids alive until a heart becomes available.

Vincent got his heart transplant one week shy of his seventh birthday. He was out of the hospital in just 10 days.

"We will be forever grateful to the doctors and nurses who saved our son," said Vincent's dad, Terry. "People who were strangers to us seem like family now. They have become some of the most important people in our lives."

Vincent is thriving and enjoys playing any sport with a ball. He is active in football, basketball and soccer.

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