Hello Lauren, I think it is a wonderful thing that this girl has a friend who is so concerned about her. First off, my daughter is 3 and had open-heart surgery last year, and her scar is very tender. Yeah, your friend has wires in her sternum(chest bone)that they used to close after surgery. But they shouldn't cause her any problems. Your friend might also have keloids(scar tissue) that might cause her a little bit of pain when bumped. There realy isn't anything to be worried about. If she is playing sports then I am sure that her Pediatric Cardiologist(heart Doctor for kids) has said it was O.K. Maybe your friend is kind of sensative about her heart problems and just want everyone to treat her like everyone else. As for knowing exactly what kind of defect she had, that is something only her and her family would know. There are hundreds of defects. If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask..:):)
Heart Hugs,
Dana
Proud Mommy to Emma, 3, TGA,PS, and a VSD(these letters stand for the names of Emma's Heart Defects)
**full Rastelli repair 10/18/2005**
and Ryan, 24m.,heart healthy