We walk in honor of our son, Kaladin Alexander Lawrence (Kal). Kal showed us the true meaning of strength. From the beginning, we were told to expect an unsuccessful pregnancy based on Stacy’s test results. Kal showed us that he was a fighter from the start and decided that nothing would stop him. The doctor said he couldn’t make sense of it, other than to say that Kal is a little miracle baby. A miracle baby is exactly what he was. It wasn’t until halfway through the pregnancy that we learned of the other complications. Kal was born with HLHS (a congenital heart defect that basically means he only had half of a heart) and a rare genetic syndrome called Jacobsen Syndrome. Kal was born April 26th, 2024 and he fought so hard every single day and overcame so many obstacles right from the start. We were told so many times that things weren’t looking good or to expect the worst, but Kal always liked to prove everyone wrong. He quickly developed a reputation for never acting as any of the doctors would expect. It was often said that it was Kal’s world, and we’re just living in it. He beat 3 open heart surgeries, a tracheostomy, an exploratory bowel surgery, a g-tube, and countless cath procedures. The most amazing thing of all about Kal is that through all of these hardships, he would still have a big smile on his face every day.
It is hard to believe that we have now spent over a year without our sweet Kaladin. We feel the pain of losing him every day. Congenital Heart Disease is not fair. Every 15 minutes in the United States, a baby is born with a congenital heart defect, making CHDs the most common birth defect in our country. However, with the hard work of organizations like the Children’s Heart Foundation, funds are raised for research that has made an immense impact on so many lives. If not for this research, we would not have gotten 9 months with our sweet Kaladin.
Every single one of these children show immeasurable strength, but they cannot do it alone. Please stand and fight with us alongside those children who have come and those who have yet to be born. We can all contribute to the fight by raising funds or just spreading awareness in order to give all of these babies and children a chance to live longer, fuller lives. Congenital Heart Walk is dedicated to raising money to research ways to fight all kinds of CHDs, HLHS included. The farther we push, the more children we can help.
Please join us on this mission. By donating to our team and/or walking with us to spread awareness, you're contributing to research that can save and enhance the lives of everyone affected by CHDs, as well as their families. All support, no matter the size, makes a significant impact, and for that, we want to say a heartfelt thank you. Will you join us in making a real difference? Please consider supporting our team and/or walking with us.
Thank you for visiting our page and reading about Kal's story.