This is Scientific Americans 60 Second Science. I'm Steve Mursky.

My book is called Water in May. It's about a 15 year old Dominican American living in Washington Heights named Maré Puchols and she wants more

than anything else to have a baby and so she's very excited when she finds out that

she's going to have a baby and then the doctors tell her her baby has only half a heart.

Ismay Williams. Dr Williams is a pediatric cardiologist at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx and the author of the young adult novel Water in May.

I met Williams May 19th at the first annual Bronx Book Festival at Fordham Plaza in New York

City's northernmost borough.

As with so much so-called young adult fiction,

the novel deals with serious issues,

including the medical problem surrounding such a heart defect.

We do surgery for this type of heart problem which is called

hypoplastic left heart syndrome. 40 years ago 95% of infants with the condition

died within a month. Now most of these kids will make it to adulthood, but will also need

frequent medical monitoring and care. Anyone buying the book will support a

worthwhile cause too. 40,000 kids a year are born with heart defects. I've partnered with a group called

Collins Kids which raises money for families who have who are affected by

congenital heart disease and are in financial need and it also raises money for research so 5% of book

sales go directly to them because part of my goal for writing the book is also

to raise awareness about the number one birth defect, the most common birth defect.

For Scientific Americans 60 Second Science, I'm Steve Merski.