Recently, Dateline NBC told America a story that seems a bit hard to believe.
Stacy and Jason Bingham of Haines, Oregon, have five beautiful children — Sierra, Megan, Lindsey, Hunter, and Gage. Unfortunately, three of the kids have been hit with cardiomyopathy, a life-threatening disease of the heart muscle that reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively. Two other children are being monitored for heart irregularities.
The result? The eldest, 16-year-old Sierra, has received two heart transplants at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, one in 2006 and a replacement in 2015. Lindsey, 12, had a heart transplant in 2013. Gage, 7, was recently placed on a Heartware ventricular assist device in order to support his failing heart. He is now awaiting placement on the transplant list. Meanwhile, cardiologists are keeping an eye on any potential problems that could be faced by Megan, 14, and Hunter, 9.
On January 17, 2016, Dateline NBC presented their 2nd national broadcast looking at the personal and medical journey the Binghams have faced, along with the many challenges ahead. In addition, the program revealed some of the advanced therapies for heart failure offered by the Heart Center at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.
Learn more
- Information on the Children’s Heart Center at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health
- About our pediatric heart transplant program
- What is dilated cardiomyopathy?
- Read about our many pediatric transplant innovations
- How can you help? Give to support the Heart Center and more families like the Binghams.
- Organ donation saves lives. Register to be a donor at https://registerme.org/.
