Contact: Sameera Jordan
Media Relations Manager
Sameera.Jordan@BankWithUnited.com

This World Heart Day, hear from the "miracle baby" who underwent heart surgery at just six days old and how she’s become a champion for heart health 25 years later. 

When the Corrigans learned that they were expecting a daughter, fourteen years after the birth of their first child, they chose the name Zoe in honor of her mother’s Greek heritage.

“Zoe means ‘life’ in Greek. To me, it’s more about the fullness of life, both in the physical sense and spiritually,” said Zoe Corrigan. “Though no one could’ve predicted the real significance of the name back then, today I’d say it’s very fitting.”

Zoe Corrigan’s parents call her their “miracle baby.” Born via a scheduled cesarean section in June 2000, Zoe’s life began in a startling fashion. While her mom had experienced a fairly typical pregnancy, with no concerns identified during her last imaging just two months prior, a freak accident that resulted in a trip to the emergency room showed the opposite.

“It started out as a normal day. My mom was shopping for flowers at a local nursery in Wichita when she tripped over a garden hose, fell, and landed on her left arm. Fortunately, she was able to protect her pregnant belly by falling on her side, but that meant all of her weight landed directly on her left arm,” Zoe recounts.

Her mom was taken to the hospital and treated for a shattered elbow. Despite needing to have a metal rod implanted in her arm, she wasn’t concerned about any further complications. However, doctors still decided to do another ultrasound just as a precaution. “From what I understand, they told my mom there was a problem, which she instantly assumed was about her elbow. She had no reason to think they meant with me, the baby,” said Zoe.

Doctors explained to the Corrigans that their baby’s heart was larger than it should be, which was later identified as an aortic aneurysm, a ballooned-out section of her aorta. A month later, Zoe’s mother was taken to a hospital across state lines in Kansas City, Missouri, to give birth in a hospital that was specifically chosen for its 10-minute proximity to the children’s hospital where Zoe was taken immediately after birth. “My mom never even got to hold me; she only got to touch my pink through the Isolette glass,” said Zoe.

Zoe spent the next five days in the neonatal intensive care unit. There, doctors identified the aneurysm but couldn’t figure out the cause. They also discovered blood leaking into the left side of her heart, which caused a forceful, irregular pulse. Zoe’s father, who stayed with Zoe while her mother recovered from her C-section and elbow surgery, was approached by doctors about this condition.

“They thought it was such a coincidence that the 19th century Irish physician who first described this condition shared the same name as us. It’s known as a water hammer pulse or Corrigan’s pulse,” said Zoe. “And while I have met a few Corrigans in my life, it’s not a very common name. Corrigan’s pulse was actually named after my dad’s Irish ancestor!”

After a successful surgery to repair the aneurysm and stop the leak, Zoe stayed in the ICU for several weeks, with her mom and dad right by her side. 

In the 25 years since Zoe’s birth, she’s been able to live a fairly normal life aside from regular doctor appointments and prescription medication she's taken since high school. "I knew I was different from other kids growing up because I didn't know anyone else who was going to the cardiologist regularly. I also apparently take a higher dosage of blood pressure medication than my nearly 70-year-old parents, which I like to joke about.”

It wasn't until her senior year of high school, while working on college application essays, that she got the full story about her birth from her parents.

"It was a very intense conversation. I knew about the surgery, but I wanted to know more about what it was actually like and what the odds of success were. That was the first time I ever saw my parents break down and get emotional while discussing this," she said. "Day-to-day, I don't really think about my condition, but it wasn’t until I sat down with my parents that I fully understood the gravity of the situation."

Zoe says her parents also told her about other families they’ve met who experienced the same thing, and how many of them were not success stories. “This really helped me understand the fragility of life and how every day is a gift. So, I just try to live life to the fullest and serve others around me."

Growing up, Zoe frequently participated in school and community theater productions, took part in low-impact sports and physical activities, and volunteered with the American Heart Association. She also went on to graduate from her dream school, Georgetown University, with a double major in finance and marketing and a minor in classical studies. In 2023, she joined United Bank’s D.C. office as a credit analyst and today serves as a senior analyst and team lead.

Her story has been shared across several local and medical news publications, and she continues to speak out about the importance of heart health and living a healthy lifestyle.

"I want to dispel misconceptions and create change by building awareness about heart health and disease, and what it looks like. That starts with telling stories like this one. So, I just want to encourage everyone to talk about heart health – reach out to family members, do 

Zoe’s Journey as a Heart Health Advocate

How does your work in banking tie into your passion for heart health?

I think we tend to minimize the toll stress takes on the body, especially young people. But the reality is that when your financial wellness is compromised, your physical wellness can be at risk too – especially your heart. As someone who works in finance and who volunteers to teach financial literacy lessons, I think it is crucial to stay on top of all aspects of wellness, and this includes your financial well-being. Just like how heart health should be a top priority at all stages of your life, it is never too early to start getting on top of your finances and making smart decisions with your money. I like to think that these small lessons we impart as bankers and financial experts are just as effective as telling my heart story. Education and raising awareness are powerful tools, so I am glad to be able to do that in my everyday life and as part of my job. 

Why is it important to continue the conversation about heart health?

For me, a congenital heart abnormality wasn’t something I could change. There were no preventative actions that I could have taken. But there are things that others can do in their day-to-day lives to live a healthier lifestyle and keep their hearts and the rest of their mind and body healthy. Even for young people, your heart is arguably the most important organ in your body. If you ever have a shadow of doubt that something might be off, go get checked out.

Working with the Heart Association, I meet a lot of people with stories like mine, and unfortunately, many whose stories didn’t turn out as well as mine. Something I hear often is that they didn’t know the signs to be on the lookout for. And I think for women specifically, we should be checking in with ourselves more often. We are disproportionately impacted by heart disease, often due to atypical symptoms and delayed treatment, meaning heart disease may look different in women than in men and may not be taken as seriously or treated as urgently. We also tell ourselves that we’re just too busy to get checked out or that we don’t have enough time to take care of ourselves. I hope that we can one day get to a place where our health is a top priority, not an afterthought for when we “have enough time.”

What do you wish more people knew about heart conditions?

I have a heart defect. There’s nothing normal or 100% perfect, great, or healthy about my heart. But being able to lead a healthy and full life – not in spite of my limitations, but with them – is the best thing I can do for myself. There have been times when I’ve had to disclose my health issues, like on a dance registration form, and people were wary of working with me. I see these potential challenges and obstacles as opportunities to prove people wrong. My doctors know my heart and limitations, and I’m in tune with my body. Shattering misconceptions and expectations has always been motivating for me

Yes, I take medication and get regular checkups, I can’t pierce my ears out of caution for possible infection, and I have to stay away from contact sports and intense cardio, but I have still been able to live a full life. I enjoy walking and yoga, I am a huge patron of the arts, and one of my favorite things to do is host and bring people together. This is what my life with a heart condition looks like, but we should not put everyone into the same box. There is no one-size-fits-all look to heart health and heart disease, and I just hope to impart that lesson to everyone I meet.

You are participating in this year’s Heart Walk with the American Heart Association on November 1. Can you share a bit more about your platform?

Given my background, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I’ve been involved with the American Heart Association for some time now. I first participated in the Heart Walk back home in Wichita when I was in high school, so when I moved to D.C. for college, I decided I would join the walk here also. I initially started out walking alone and then eventually had some friends join me, and I was very excited to get a team together from United Bank for the first time last year. 

Eventually, I was approached about becoming an American Heart Association Woman of Impact nominee, which allowed me to be part of a campaign to raise awareness about women’s heart health. My campaign specifically focused on shattering misconceptions and showing that heart disease is sometimes insidious – you never know what may be hiding underneath the surface – and that there is no one-size-fits-all look to heart health or heart disease. Probably everyone has been impacted by heart disease in some way, either personally or a loved one. It’s the number one leading cause of death in the U.S., more than all types of cancers combined, which is a very eye-opening statistic.

As someone with a theater and public speaking background, I like to think of my voice as a tool to help create change. I’m not in the research labs where all our fundraising dollars go, and I can’t single-handedly solve these issues, but I am located in the nation’s capital, where decisions are made, with a platform to speak about my experience and the seriousness of this cause. Raising awareness is part of taking action, and I want to encourage everyone to take action for themselves and others and leverage their own strengths and skills to make change.

 The American Heart Association’s annual Heart Walk takes place on Saturday, November 1, 2025. You can learn more about Zoe’s story and register to join her and the United Bank team, Bankers Have Heart, here.