Adopted Grandkids Need Heart Transplants

Refugia and Ray Moore became full-time parents again when they adopted their three grandchildren in 2000.

It was to mark the start of a journey down a medical path they'll always be on.

The Moores, who live in a suburb of Albuquerque, N.M., learned several years later that the three would need heart transplants. They suffer from a rare condition, restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM), a potentially fatal muscle disease that hinders blood flow in the heart.

Samantha Moore, 16, had her operation a year ago. Brandi Moore, 11, had the surgery in January, and Gary Moore Jr., 15, will need a new heart in the near future, doctors say.

Like all transplant recipients, the kids must take drugs for the rest of their lives, and they run the risk that their bodies will reject the new hearts.

The Moores and the kids' cardiologist, Dr. Bradley Raisher of Pediatric Cardiology Associates, spoke with Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith Thursday.

Raisher explained that, "Medicines really don't help (RCM) much at all."

To see the interview, click on the arrow in the image below.