A 2-year-old boy is fighting for his life while awaiting one of the rarest transplant combinations in pediatric medicine: a new heart paired with both lungs.
Alexander Petrilli was born in Florida in December 2023 with transposition of the great arteries (TGA), a serious congenital heart defect in which the two main arteries leaving the heart are switched. The condition disrupts normal blood flow and typically requires early surgical intervention. Despite treatment, ongoing complications—including severe pulmonary hypertension—have left his heart and lungs failing.
Alexander is now receiving care at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. His parents, Michael and Kayla Petrilli, have shared that he needs a combined heart and double-lung transplant, a procedure performed far less frequently than single-organ transplants because of the difficulty of finding a suitable size-matched donor and the complexity of the surgery itself.
In a recent update, Kayla explained that Alexander has been fitted with a Berlin Heart, an external mechanical pump that supports the left side of his heart. The device is intended to stabilize him while doctors aggressively treat the high pressure in his lungs without further damaging his already strained heart. “He is being so strong going through this,” his mother has said.
Combined heart-lung transplants in toddlers remain uncommon. They are typically reserved for children whose heart and lung disease are so intertwined that replacing only one organ would not succeed. The wait for matching organs can be long, and the family’s public message has been clear: they are hoping for a miracle.
Photos of Alexander show him at different stages of intensive care—connected to monitors, wearing a protective head covering, using a nasal cannula, and later sitting up in a hospital gown. An inset image captures a brighter moment of him smiling while holding a book, a reminder of the personality behind the medical battle.
His parents continue to advocate for him while supporting his care. Stories like Alexander’s highlight both the extraordinary challenges faced by children with complex congenital heart and lung disease and the critical role of organ donation in offering a second chance at life.
Sources: People magazine report (August 2026) on Alexander Petrilli, detailing his diagnosis of transposition of the great arteries, need for a combined heart and double-lung transplant at Texas Children’s Hospital, placement of a Berlin Heart, and his parents’ statements.
Family updates shared via GoFundMe describing his ongoing treatment and the rarity of the required transplant combination.
