ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Every year, about 40,000 babies are born with congenital heart defects, which can be a wide variety of issues within the structure of the heart, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But breakthrough technology and quick action from medical experts has improved patients' probabilities to live their lives normally. It took a village for the Cimino and O’Geen families, but their girls just needed each other.

“We’ve been in the same class except for second, and yeah,” 8-year-old Ellianna O’Geen said with a smile.

She and her best friend, Aubrey Cimino, met just before kindergarten. Little did they know, it was only a few months after O’Geen had open heart surgery as a 4-year-old.

“All of that normal get-to-know-you stuff. And we both realized that we had daughters with special hearts, and sort of bonded right then in there,” Suzanne Cimino, Aubrey’s mom, explained. “We've had a lot of conversations about their heart history. We always reach out to each other before our appointments and sort of talk through our stresses, lean on each other [and] cry together. We've definitely had some parking lot hugs and cry sessions.”

The 8-year-old’s moms are just as close.

“I found out at 24 weeks that I had a baby with a heart defect. They found that on the ultrasound, so I had to complete the pregnancy. So we weren’t even sure I was going to make it to full-term. And so then if I did make it to full term, we were expecting surgery right away,” Erika O’Geen, Ellianna’s mom, recalled. “So many, many emotions. That whole day was kind of a blur.”

However, when O’Geen’s daughter was born, doctors were able to wait until just before kindergarten for her heart to be stronger before open heart surgery.

“She had something called an atrioventricular canal," Dr. George Porter, both girls’ pediatric cardiologist, said. "Another term for it is in the cardio cushion defect."

Cimino’s daughter’s process was fairly different.

“She actually had her open heart surgery at 7 months," Cimino said. "So, when she was 4 months old, she had a catheterization procedure. And they thought that, hopefully, that was all she would need. But during that procedure, they realized that there was actually a secondary heart condition that they weren't aware of. Because it wasn't showing up on her echos. I think they said their hearts were like the size of walnuts at that age. So very, very tiny babies meaning to place a lot of trust in the medical professionals that were working on her and just praying and hoping for the best outcome.”

“She had pulmonary stenosis," Porter said. "Stenosis means narrowing and pulmonary means the pulmonary valve. It was actually above the valve where she had narrowing when she was." 

Both families share the fear of having a loved one go under.

“It was scary. Especially just knowing, like, OK, we're bringing you home. We don't know exactly what's wrong,” Cimino admitted.

“So, emotional wise? [I was] a wreck. I don't really comprehend everything because everything was just thrown at you,” O’Geen said.

Porter says both girls’ procedures were different, but more importantly, successful. He says it’s normal that CHD's and their recovery vary.

“It’s less than 1%," he said. "You can have abnormal valves. You can have holes between chambers. You can be missing chambers. There’s really a wide variety of congenital heart defects that we take care of. They have in common that they're born two months apart and they met each other in school the most. Their defects are actually pretty dissimilar. Sometimes you actually see when Aubrey had the pulmonary stenosis with any navy canal, but it's kind of from a the standpoint of understanding cardiac development. They are two somewhat different processes that lead to those defects.”

Now, the girls have two big hearts. They do just about everything together, including inspiring others to care for their own healthy hearts.

“They decided because they were riding the bus together, that they would write a speech to say at the Heart Ball," Cimino said. "And we both thought that that was a wild idea, knowing that there would be 400 people there. Didn't really think they'd follow through on it. I thought they would get nervous and not be able to do it, but they rocked it. Yeah, they were quite amazing."

The girls were both chosen as the heart heroes in the kid’s heart challenge through the American Heart Association. At this year’s Heart Ball, the girls gave a speech together to the crowd. Both moms couldn’t be more proud. 

“She has been a fighter from day one, and she made it two days past my due date," O’Geen said. "She made it through that open heart surgery, and she rocked it. She is beyond our fighter and our warrior. [She's] my hero."

Both girls recovered, but are still monitored regularly. Cimino’s daughter is at a higher risk for needing further intervention when she gets older, but the moms are confident they’ll have each other for additional support.

“It's nice to know that they'll carry that part with them too, that they'll celebrate each other," Cimino said. "That they have someone else that has, you know, a similar scar. That warrior scar, especially as growing girls. [They will] not to be ashamed of [that scar], but [they will] celebrate [it]. They'll have each other. If they are facing surgery again down the road or some sort of intervention that, our families have each other and the girls have each other to get through that with."

“I know I'm not alone, as an adult aspect," O’Geen said. "And she's not alone as a kid aspect. And, you know, they have their own feelings. So, whatever she wants to talk about, that is completely up to her. What she wants to share, what she talked about with her friends. And same on an adult level. But to know that there’s other people out there. It's going to be the hardest time of your life, but you will make it through and I was told that. And I don't believe it and I’m here today. And those girls are fighters every minute of the day.”