Nick Dakins doesn’t remember his first heart surgery — but his family does. He was just two weeks old when his body began to go cold in his grandfather’s arms.

His family rushed him to the hospital, where doctors discovered that he had a condition called transposition of the great arteries. Vessels in his heart were on the wrong side. The side of the heart that was supposed to pump blood to the body was pumping blood to the lungs, and the side of the heart that was supposed to pump blood to the lungs was pumping blood to the body.  

Nick received a complex procedure called an arterial switch, which corrected the blood flow in his heart. It saved his life.

Living With a Hidden Risk

Despite his early surgery, Nick grew up active — playing soccer, football and basketball. “I was able to do it all,” he says. “It was just that yearly checkup with the cardiologist that reminded me I had something different.”

Years later, after Nick moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico, his new cardiologist recommended more advanced testing. That’s when he learned he had an aortic root aneurysm, or a bulge in the upper part of the aorta (the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body). This condition is often called a “silent killer” because if the bulge ruptures, it can cause life-threatening internal bleeding.  

“It was terrifying,” Nick recalls. “It’s like a ticking time bomb. It changed everything.”

Finding the Right Team

Determined to understand his condition, Nick dove into research. That’s how he found Douglas Ross Johnston, MD, a cardiac surgeon at Northwestern Medicine.

The challenge? Nick’s pulmonary artery crossed in front of the aorta, making it difficult to access the aortic root aneurysm. The team at Northwestern Medicine, in partnership with David Scott Winlaw, MD, a pediatric congenital heart surgeon at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, developed a surgical plan together. This plan preserved the original repair Nick had done when he was two weeks old while removing the aneurysm.

“We don’t just plan together — we operate together,” says Dr. Johnston. “That expertise is a huge benefit to our patients.”

A Life Rebuilt

Nick’s complex surgery was a success. His aorta was repaired and his heart function restored.

“Flying across the country for care was intimidating,” Nick admits. “But Northwestern Medicine took the time to understand what happened when I was two weeks old. That meant everything.”

Now, Nick looks forward to the future. “My daughter’s eight. I get to watch her grow up, play sports with her, be hands-on,” he says. “Someday, I’ll meet my grandkids. This gave me a whole new life.”

Learn about preventive tests to determine the health of your heart and aorta.