Atlas was born at 34 weeks with a complex combination of congenital heart defects: double outlet right ventricle (DORV), dextro-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA), ventricular septal defect (VSD), atrial septal defect (ASD), and pulmonary atresia. Delivered 2.5 hours from home and from a hospital with a strong pediatric cardiac program, he spent nearly his entire life in the cardiovascular intensive care unit.

In his short eight months, Atlas underwent open-heart surgery that included a Rastelli procedure. He was placed on ECMO twice—once for 14 days and once for 10 days. He coded five times and recovered from four of those episodes. For three months after surgery he remained chemically paralyzed and sedated as his medical team worked to help him recover. He was able to come home for about one week and spent ten days living with his mother at a Ronald McDonald House.

Atlas passed away on January 25, 2026, one day after his eight-month birthday.

His mother described him as a fighter who repeatedly proved people wrong, often receiving “one last chance” at something and then exceeding expectations. She said the resilience he was born with astonished her. Named after the mythological Greek titan who carried the world, Atlas became, in her words, her own Titan—carrying the weight of an extraordinarily difficult start to life with quiet strength.

Though his time was brief, Atlas’s story is one of perseverance in the face of profound medical challenges. It stands as a reminder of the courage many children with complex congenital heart disease show every day, and of the love and determination of the families who walk beside them.

Source

• Personal tribute shared by Atlas’s mother as part of a “Warrior Wednesday” remembrance