Basic HTML Version
Allyssa Smith Babineaux
For information about
keeping your heart healthy, c
1-800-292-222
or submit a question online
Ask a Texas Heart Institute Do
texasheart.or
In October of 2006, Allyssa Smith, then a college freshman, an avid
athlete and the picture of health, was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy,
a disease that weakens the heart and causes life-threatening problems in
many parts of the body. Her condition was severe.
Fortunately, she was referred to us. We used the latest advancements in
treatments and technology—many of which were developed here—to treat
her. With the aid of an implanted heart pump, she married her college
sweetheart, Mike Babineaux, in 2010.
People Magazine
, NBC’s Today Show
and others branded her “The Bionic Bride.”
Ally subsequently underwent a heart transplant and is enjoying the
dream of her new life, in a new house, with her new husband. The “Bionic
Bride” is now Allyssa Smith Babineaux.
She, like countless others, is living out the future she might not have had,
thanks to a heart donor and to our dedicated doctors, scientists and staff
who continue to push the envelope for what is possible in the fight against
heart disease.
There are many reasons
U.S. News &World Report
has
ranked us among the top ten heart centers in the nation
for 21 consecutive years. Allyssa Smith Babineaux is one
of them.
No.33210_Texas_Heart_Institute.indd 1
06/1