No parents could expect to spend most of their child’s first year of life in a hospital. However, Faith and David Helmerich spent more than 300 days in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit at Oklahoma Children’s OU Health.

Their son Parker was born with a critical heart condition and received a heart transplant in the Oklahoma City facility before his first birthday. This momentous occasion in 2024, while life-changing for Parker’s family, also marked the first pediatric transplant at the hospital—and in the state—in more than 30 years. 

OU Health’s pediatric cardiac program is already ranked among the top 50 in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Its providers perform more than 500 heart surgeries annually with some of the highest survival rates in the nation, and they saw children from every county in Oklahoma last year. However, the system’s services are currently spread across multiple departments and buildings.

Stories like Parker’s are driving a major investment in pediatric cardiac care in Oklahoma. The Presbyterian Health Foundation made a $20 million gift to the future Oklahoma Children’s OU Health Presbyterian Health Foundation Heart Center, a 200,500-square-foot facility that will bring all pediatric cardiac services under one roof, as well as dramatically increase the number of patients OU Health can serve.

The gift, secured through the University of Oklahoma Foundation team’s cultivation and partnership efforts, was announced during PHF’s 40th anniversary celebration in September. It complements a $200 million appropriation from the Oklahoma State Legislature to fund one of the most significant healthcare infrastructure projects in state history. 

Construction is expected to begin in 2027. The center will include two surgical suites, multiple cardiac catheterization and hybrid labs, expanded imaging and diagnostic capacity, 90 dedicated cardiac beds and 30 outpatient exam rooms. It will also include support spaces for families, as well as facilities for ECMO and transplant care.

Faith says the staff at OU Health does a fantastic job of teaching parents and children the anatomy of the heart, as well as nuances of surgical procedures. “But what we found so incredible and unique were the kindness, compassion and care each provider gave to Parker and our family. They earned our trust immediately.”

The Helmerich family’s gratitude for the treatment Parker received has motivated them to volunteer as ambassadors for the Heart Center, sharing their story for a variety of audiences. 

“No detail is ever overlooked,” Faith Helmerich says. “No child is too complex. They never lose hope or give up on their patients. Any time we had questions or concerns, they were met with patience and understanding. Oklahoma Children’s and his donor saved our son's life, and we will forever be grateful for the exceptional care we received after spending over 300 days in the hospital.”

Dr. Harold Burkhart, pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon and chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at the OU College of Medicine, says that OU Health's program has grown exponentially in the past 10 years through high surgical survival and advances in cardiology and critical care, along with the addition of a cardiac transplant program. But growth to accommodate the state’s children is critical. 

“As the only comprehensive pediatric cardiac program in the state, we have a responsibility to the children and families of Oklahoma to ensure that they have access to the care they need without having to leave the state,” Burkhart says. 

“Being able to localize pediatric cardiac care to one heart center will not only improve the patient experience, but having cardiac experts in one place will also allow for superior outcomes and quality on a larger scale.”

For families like the Helmerichs, having such a high level of care in Oklahoma made a world of difference, one they hope can include as many patients as possible.

“More children will be able to get the heart help they need,” Faith says. “There will be no better place to receive care.”

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