COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sarah Sue Morbitzer faced a major health adversity early in her life. 

What You Need To Know

  • Sarah Sue Morbitzer was a volleyball player at The Ohio State University

  • She had to get open heart surgery at 4 months old

  • She wrote a children's book about her experience to let other kids know they aren't alone

“I had open heart surgery when I was 4 months old. At 2 days old, my parents found out that I had a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot,” Morbitzer said. 

But instead of letting that hold her back in life, she still pursued her dreams of playing collegiate level volleyball for The Ohio State University. 

“So I grew up a Columbus kid, and I'm only about 20 minutes from campus, my parents’ house," she said. "So I always wanted to be a Buck..., so playing volleyball, Ohio State, was a dream come true. And every day that I got to wear the black, it was truly just a special moment for me."

During her time at OSU, she quickly learned she had a platform to make a difference and decided to write a children’s book. 

“As I started getting older and figuring out how I wanted to use my platform on Ohio State, I realized this is something that I think could happen and something that I want to do," she said. "So I decided to pursue it, and it turned out pretty nice."

The book is called "Sarah Scarbuck’s Heart Zipper." It’s loosely based on her life story to inspire kids who read the book that anything is possible. It was a project years in the making and now that it’s complete, Morbitzer said it feels like a full circle moment. 

“It feels so surreal to be able to have the finished product in my hand...to go make connections with families and kids that are going to the same similar path and journey that I went through when I was a kid,” Morbitzer said. 

Now she is preparing for medical school to become a pediatric cardiologist. She wants to be an empathetic doctor who helps her patients realize they are not alone. 

“The goal of the book is to inspire kids that they can still achieve their dream, even if they have a heart zipper and for parents to really have hope,” she said.