BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) — Nebraska’s first child pacemaker recipient Kim Castellano celebrates one year with new heart after nearly 60 years of medical challenges and surgeries.
- Kim Castellano was born with a congenital heart defect and received her first pacemaker at just 3 years old.
- “On October 30th, we get the call that it was gonna be on Halloween, so I got my Halloween heart,” Castellano said.
- In Nebraska, the only place patients can receive a transplant is Nebraska Medicine. Since 1999, they have performed 628 heart transplants. Kim was number 587.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A Bellevue woman who made history as Nebraska’s first child pacemaker recipient is celebrating a major milestone: one year with a new heart after nearly 60 years and more than 30 surgeries.
Kim Castellano was born with a congenital heart defect and received her first pacemaker at just 3 years old, making her the first child in Nebraska to receive the life-saving device. After decades of dealing with heart disease, her health started to decline and it was time for a transplant…