The first thing noted about Irving when he stepped off the airplane with his mom was his sweet smile. The next was his blue lips and fingertips, resulting from the lack of oxygen running through his body. He had lived for 12 years with the congenital heart defect called tetralogy of fallot which greatly compromised his quality of life, but not his kind spirit and hope for help. Dr. Sanjiv Gandhi performed Irving's life-saving open-heart surgery at St. Louis Children's Hospital. He went home six weeks later with pink lips and an even bigger smile.