Official Kids Mag

By Karen Rice Official Kids Mag Solara J. is 11 years old and a sixth grader at Oakdale Middle School in Rogers. She likes riding bikes, playing sports, and is especially good at golf. She has an older brother who, she says, "is smarter than me, but I beat him in responsibility and maturity." She also has pet GloFish. "She strives to do well in school and always wants to be an example of good," her mom said. But when Solara was just 6 years old, she had open heart surgery to correct a very serious condition. Solara had been born with a defect in her heart and when she was 5, her parents told her, "Your heart is different, and the doctors need to fix it. You have a hole in the middle, and it isn't pumping blood right." Solara and her parents traveled to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock for the surgery. They stayed overnight in the Ronald McDonald House because her surgery was early in the morning. "They did open heart surgery to repair my defect," Solara said. "I was scared but I was very young, and I didn't understand it fully. As I was spending time at Little Rock and waiting for the procedure, I was getting very nervous." Recovering after surgery was the worst part, she said, but the hospital workers did a lot to help her feel better. "I was there for a little over two weeks," Solara said. "When I came home it was very hot and so my scar was getting irritated and red. I could not play much, either. I was not happy with my long home recovery." At first, Solara could only eat a little and move around a tiny bit. She had to take medication for the pain. Her mom says she was nervous, but Solara was brave. "She is a girl with a lot of determination," her mom said. It was summer and Solara used the time to heal before school started. Slowly, she was allowed to move around more. Solara still has to take medication to help her heart pump blood correctly. "I have metal clamps on my chest bone and a long scar on my chest," Solara said. But that doesn't stop her from being active and having fun. Shortly after her recovery, Solara discovered a new sport: golf. Her mom let her daughter try it because it's a more low-impact sport. "After surgery we did a golf trial at First Tee in November/December," Solara said. "After doing it I liked the challenge of the sport, and it gave me another thing to do." "She actually took to it like she was a pro," her mom said. "She likes the individual aspect of it and the challenge it gives you. It's very much a mental game." Solara now plays in the PGA Junior League and competes in the Arkansas PGA Junior Tour and the U.S. Kids Golf Tulsa Region Tour. "To compete, it's challenging knowing that I'm the shortest to play in the U.S. Kids Tulsa Region in my age group," Solara said. "But I just think of it as my practice and imagine someone is just playing with me. Also, I usually come in second or third when there are five or more kids." Golf isn't Solara's only sport. "I love to play golf and I'm really good at it," she admitted. "When the season ends in winter, I practice golf and do basketball through Heritage High School, so I don't get bored." Solara has raised money through the American Heart Association's Heart Challenge at her school and hopes to help raise awareness for kids like her with "different hearts." She's happy to be healthy now and talked about her pet GloFish. "I have a school of GloFish, and a lot of them died but this one fish doesn't," Solara said. "It's so weird, but it's my favorite because it never dies and I can count on that one not to die." We're guessing that GloFish is strong and brave, just like Solara. www.Of f icialKidsMag.com • AUGUST 2023 • 31

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