MINNEAPOLIS — Whether it’s a game of tic-tac-toe with mom, or playing in the kitchen with dad, 4-year-old Evelyn Otto’s personality shines.
“She’s definitely a little boss,” Evelyn’s dad, Ross Otto, said. “I love it. I wouldn’t change that little attitude for anything.”
Her strong demeanor is a reminder of what she’s overcome. On the outside she looks like any other 4-year-old, but if she lifted her shirt, you’d see her “superhero scars.”
“You couldn’t tell that she’s been through eight heart surgeries and all the other different procedures that she’s been through,” Ross Otto said.
Ross Otto and his wife, Kelly, found out the chambers of their daughter’s heart didn’t form properly during pregnancy. A congenital heart defect called completed balanced atrioventricular septal defect, or AVSD.
“It was a gut punch,” Kelly Otto said. “It wasn’t something you’d expect. You’re just expecting a healthy baby.”
According to Children’s Minnesota Dr. Charles Shepard, heart defects aren’t uncommon; about one in 100. AVSD is the most common type of heart defect. But what came next for Evelyn Otto was rare.