ROUND ROCK, Texas — More than two decades ago, an Austin doctor provided life-saving heart care for a young girl in Round Rock.
When Micaela Allen was 8 years old, she was diagnosed with having a bicuspid aortic valve. It was a situation that was hard for her to understand at the time.
"It just felt like kind of a normal appointment," Allen said. "I guess when you're a kid, you just don't know anything differently."
Back then, Allen was seen by Dr. Karen Wright, a pediatric cardiologist for Pediatrix Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology Associates of Texas and the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease at Dell Children’s Medical Center.
Earlier this year, Allen's daughter, Anderson, was born with Aortic Valve Stenosis, which is a more severe version of a condition Allen also has.
"At 20 weeks, during our anatomy scan, they had said something's a little up with the heart," Allen said. "We didn't have specifics at that time."
More than 20 years later, Wright would provide that same care for that young girl's newborn daughter.
"Her pediatrician had heard a murmur, and in my assessment, that murmur sounded abnormal. So we did further investigation and we found that she indeed had a congenital heart defect that had not caused her any problems in the first eight years of her life," Wright said.
When it came time for Anderson to be born, a surprise was waiting for Allen. It was the coincidence of a lifetime.
"I happened to be the cardiologist on call when Anderson was born," Wright said.
PHOTOS: Doctor cares for patient's newborn daughter, 20 years later
Wright said the moment was truly special for Allen's mother as well, seeing the same doctor help her daughter and now her granddaughter.
But she said they knew they had to buckle in for a long road ahead. The day after she was born, Anderson had her first life-saving surgery, a balloon valvuloplasty.
"We knew that Micaela's baby was going to require really pretty urgent assessment and care and intervention," Wright said.
Anderson will need multiple open heart surgeries, but she's staying on track and hitting all of her marks each doctor's visit.
"They say that once she has surgery and stuff, she'll be able to play sports and like, that's the normal kid, which again, is like just a blessing," Allen said.
Allen also said that more than 20 years after Wright provided life-changing care for her, she's grateful that a familiar face can do the same for Anderson.