During her routine 18-week scan, Hollie Tran received news no expectant parent is prepared to hear.

Her unborn baby had been diagnosed with a complex case of congenital heart disease; a lifelong condition that would require major, lifesaving surgery shortly after birth.

In an instant, Hollie found herself submerged in medical jargon and overwhelming information about a diagnosis she had never encountered before.

“Everything was new to me and happened really fast. As a first-time mother, there was a lot to process. The news hit me hard,” she says.

The gravity of Noah’s condition became apparent the moment he was born.

Doctors moved swiftly, knowing urgent intervention was needed to keep him alive.

“Right after I delivered him, I only got to hold him for 5 seconds before they took him away,” Hollie says.

“He had to be moved to the NICU immediately, and that was it – I didn’t see him again until 6 hours later.”

Initially, Hollie was told Noah would undergo open-heart surgery at six-months-old, but doctors decided intervention was needed much sooner.

“It was scary – knowing the tiny heart is open, the scar will be there forever,” Hollie says.

The surgery was a success, but while Noah’s recovery exceeded expectations, his journey is far from over.

He will require annual cardiac check-ups for the rest of his life, a reality shared by around 65,000 Australian children living with congenital heart disease.

An estimated eight Australian babies are born with some form of the disease every day.

For families like Hollie’s, this often means years of deciphering complex medical language, understanding shifting health markers and grappling with uncertainty.

But a new medical technology is offering hope — not just in treatment, but in understanding.

Developed by Curtin University medical professor Zhonghua Sun, the Minerva Project is a virtual reality platform that transforms CT and MRI scans into immersive 3D models.

Using laptops and VR headsets, doctors can explore a patient’s anatomy and plan their surgical approach prior to operating, without the need for invasive procedures.

Minerva is also helping parents understand what is happening inside their child’s body.

With the support of Curtin HIVE visualisation technology specialist Dr Michael Ovens, Minerva has evolved into a powerful patient education tool.

Dr Ovens describes the journey as “exciting, gratifying and rewarding”, noting its ability to reduce confusion during what is often the most stressful period of a family’s life.

During a recent demonstration at Curtin HIVE, Hollie and members of health charity HeartKids experienced the technology firsthand.

For Hollie, the impact was immediate.

“When I was told about Noah’s condition by doctors, it was a lot of information, and I zoned out during the diagnosis,” she says.

The moment I used the Minerva VR tool, I thought about how this would help parents so much to better understand diagnosis information.”

Dr Ovens says witnessing that moment of clarity was deeply meaningful and a reminder of why he continues to push the technology forward.

“I am really passionate about being able to further this angle of patient education, understanding and informed consent relating to treatments for congenital heart conditions like Noah’s,” he says.

Minerva was recognised with the Humanities Award at the 2025 Curtinnovation Awards and continues to be trialled in collaboration with cardiology experts at Perth Children’s Hospital.

Dr Ovens hopes to see Minerva adopted more widely.

“What we need is a few early champions – the doctors and clinicians who are willing to try a new tool, trial it with patients and make it commonplace,” he says.

Professor Sun also has global ambitions for the project.

In mid-2026, he and Dr Ovens will travel to Malaysia to demonstrate Minerva at local universities and explore foreign partnerships, with the aim of expanding its potential as a patient education tool.

To further educate children like Noah about congenital heart disease, Hollie Tran has authored a children’s book, titled The Heart Hero, available to purchase through HeartKids here.