Trojan Wish: Cix Greene

On Saturday, Sept. 17, a young USC fan named Cix Greene enjoyed a special experience at the USC football game against Fresno State.

When Cix (pronounced "six") was seven years old, his mother Chappral noticed he was experiencing shortness of breath. Chappral wasn't initially worried because Cix often exerted himself playing basketball. But a pediatrician noticed a heart murmur and sent the family to a cardiologist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The cardiologist performed an echocardiogram and discovered an extremely rare heart condition — so rare that the cardiologist had never seen it before in more than two decades of pediatric care.

Cix was diagnosed with ARCAPA, short for anomalous right coronary artery from pulmonary artery. In cases of ARCAPA, the coronary artery that supplies blood to the right side of the heart rises anomalously — or abnormally — out of the pulmonary artery, rather than out of the aorta, disrupting the mechanics of the heart. A cardiothoracic surgeon had to perform an operation on Cix to realign the arteries. Despite the complexity of the procedure, the surgery was successful.

Fast forward to Sept. 17, when Chappral and Cix got to come to USC for a special day. They got a tour of USC's campus and athletic facility and received free USC gear. They were treated to a pregame tailgate and got to stand on the sidelines at the Coliseum as the USC football team warmed up for its game. The Trojans went on to beat Fresno State, 45-17.

Learn more about the work CHLA is doing and how you can help: www.chla.org/ways-help