Syosset Teen Celebrates Successful Surgery with Visit from Hall of Famer

Cord Lehman has a lot to smile about right now. Not only did the 17-year-old from Syosset recently undergo a successful Melody Valve procedure, a revolutionary treatment option for patients suffering from heart issues that might later require open-heart surgery, but the avid hockey fan was also surprised at the hospital by Hockey Hall of Famer Pat La Fontaine, who presented Cord with a signed hockey stick. 

“I always knew I would go ahead with the Melody Valve technology,” said Cord. “I trust my parents and my doctors. I’m pretty matter-of-fact about that. But meeting Pat LaFontaine – I’m in ecstasy.”

Cord was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect that changes the normal flow of blood through the heart. When he was just 48 hours old, he underwent surgery to help bring oxygenated blood to his lungs through the insertion of tubes called conduits. Months later he underwent another surgery.

Cohen Children’s Medical Center is one of the few pediatric hospitals in the metro area offering the Melody Valve procedure, and is the same hospital where the two-day-old Cord received his first surgeries. Dipak Kholwadwala, MD, an interventional radiologist at Cohen, who had been trained in the use of the Melody Valve, decided that Cord was the perfect candidate for the procedure. 

“Because it is non-invasive with the valve being introduced through the groin, patients like Cord are able to recuperate quickly with less chance of infection,” said Dr. Kholwadwala. “In fact, Cord’s case went so well that we sent him home one day after the procedure.”

“It’s a wonderful thing to know that I won’t be needing open heart surgery any time soon…or maybe never,” said Cord. “I’m very happy.”