Q&A with Gabrielle Wanek

Jul 3, 2018 | Stephen Rowley | @sjrowley

Mom and Gabrielle

Our HLHS program has been very fortunate to have Gabrielle Wanek here with us for the summer. She’s been able to provide insight into what she and some HLHS families would like to know more about (research and non-research related) plus she’s been sharing her story of what it is like to grow up with a congenital heart disease (and how she isn’t letting it stop her one bit as she conquers college)!

This week, Gabrielle is taking questions from you – our HLHS families and community. Is there anything you would like to ask her? Maybe you’d like to know more about if she found it harder to keep up with her peers in high school or how she now responds when people ask her what HLHS is. Be sure to ask your questions either on this post or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Next week, Gabrielle will answer some of those questions in her next blog post.

Check back in next week to read more about Gabrielle Wanek, a twenty-three-year-old living with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. 


The Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) is a collaborative network of specialists bonded by the vision of finding solutions for individuals affected by congenital heart defects including HLHS. The specialized team is addressing the various aspects of these defects by using research and clinical strategies ranging from basic science to diagnostic imaging to regenerative therapies. Email the program at HLHS@mayo.edu to learn more.

Interested in more newsfeed posts like this? Go to the HLHS blog.

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