Shelby and Miss Texas
As Shelby Hedgepeth, 12, rode down Commerce Street at the 2008 Neiman Marcus Adolphus Children's Parade, she looked like a star, smiling and waving to the crowd alongside Miss Texas, Rebecca Robinson. Since Shelby is known as a superstar at The Heart Center at Children's Medical Center, it was a perfect role.
Riding in the parade with Miss Texas was a wish come true not only for Shelby but also her family. Just two years before, Shelby's wish list was topped with a different gift; one she would never see or touch, but that would save her life.
The need for a new heart
On Dec. 4, 2007, Shelby developed symptoms similar to a cold, but within a matter of days the symptoms had worsened dangerously; a chest X-ray revealed heart failure. Physicians at Children's diagnosed her with cardiomyopathy — she would need a new heart to survive. Shelby was admitted and the waiting game began.
Success
On Christmas morning, the fifth-grader's wish came true. A heart was delivered to Children's and successfully transplanted into Shelby 's chest. Just three and a half hours after the surgery, Shelby was extubated. She left the cardiovascular intensive care unit a day later, and was home in less than a week.
Today Shelby is back to her spunky self, with a new wish: to be a doctor when she grows up.
