Sarasota family of boy born with congenital heart defect to participate in 7th ‘Heart Walk’

SARASOTA, Fla. - One Sarasota family is getting ready for their seventh annual American Heart Association Heart Walk. The cause became very close to their hearts in 2015.

Nico Marquez, 8, was born with Transposition of the Great Arteries, a congenital heart defect.

Nicole Marquez, Nico’s mom, said he was one-day-old, when doctors discovered the defect. She said they were getting ready to bring Nico home, but doctors decided to run another test.

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"We were getting ready to leave, and it showed that his oxygen levels were really low, and so that lead to further testing, which actually discovered his condition," Nicole Marquez said.

She said doctors ran a pulse oximeter test, which ultimately helped save Nico’s life. He had open heart surgery at just six days old.

"Without that test, we would’ve left the hospital with him, and he probably would’ve died in [his] sleep," Nicole Marquez said.

After a successful surgery, Nico was able to go home. Since then, he has gone to the doctor regularly for check-ups and standard testing.

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"We’re so fortunate that he’s just a normal kid," Nicole Marquez said. "You’d never know, and people who meet him, don’t ever know unless we tell them."

Like many other 8-year-old boys, Nico loves to play outside with his siblings and play sports.

"Spending time with my family, play video games and stuff," Nico said.

The Marquez family will be walking in the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk for the seventh year. They’re proud to share Nico’s story and help raise awareness and funding for advancements in cardiac care.

"Just going through that as a family, we want to pay it forward," Nicole Marquez said.

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In 2019, Nico’s sister, Savannah, 15, brought legislation to the Florida legislature to try to implement mandatory pulse oximeter screenings for babies. The bill introduced in the house and Senate fell short, but it’s inspired their family to keep advocating for continued research into cardiac care.

The Tampa Bay Heart Walk is on November 4. The Suncoast Heart Walk is on November 18. You can find more information on the American Heart Association Heart Walk here.