Listen to Owen’s Story
Ryan and Jessica Maier’s son, Owen. was born with transposition of the great arteries, meaning Owen’s two major vessels that carry blood away from the heart — the aorta and the pulmonary artery — are switched (transposed). Owen has had two open-heart 
surgeries to repair his heart to make it function as normally as possible. His favorite food is whatever anyone else is eating and his favorite past time is riding in his wagon and jumping on the trampoline with his big brother, Noah.
“We raise Owen just like any other child,” Jessica says. “With lots of love, fun and normal kid experiences. He just gets his heart checked out along the way.”
When Owen goes in for those checkups, he likes hanging out with his favorite doctor, Dipankar Gupta, MB, BS.
“We are so thankful for the exceptional care the UF Health Congenital Heart Center gives our family and heart warrior,” Jessica says. “We can’t imagine having any other team watch over our precious boy.”