The Ellinger family recently reunited with Dr. Hanmin Lee, who performed life-saving surgery on their unborn son in 2008. At the time, the fetus was diagnosed with severe form of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a rare condition where the diaphragm doesn't develop properly, causing the abdominal organs to push into the chest cavity and preventing the lungs from developing fully. UCSF was the first place to perform the challenging balloon tracheal occlusion (BTO) procedure, which helps the lungs develop properly before birth.
Read the full story and watch the video a on ABC7 News: Teen reunites with UCSF surgeon who saved him as a fetus, 18 years later