Columbus Congenital Heart Walk

1 in 100 babies. 1% of babies. That's how common congenital heart defects (CHDs) are, and before having our Brayve Brayden, I had no idea that statistic was so high. In fact, I was so naive to birth defects, I was stunned when our guy entered the world and turned ours upside down during the 1st hour of his life.

Brayden is 1 of those extra special kiddos born with a CHD, specifically Tetralogy of Fallot. After a completely uneventful pregnancy and normal ultrasounds, our guy joined our family at 37 weeks on September 17, 2020 and was full of surprises from the get-go. Along with his CHD, Brayden had an imperforate anus (he was born without a booty hole), hydronephrosis of his left kidney, and a duplicated urethra.

We soon found out that he had vACteRl association, which is a disorder that affects many body systems. VACTERL stands for vertebral defects, anal atresia, cardiac defects, tracheo-esophageal fistula, renal anomalies, and limb abnormalities. People diagnosed with VACTERL association typically have at least three of these characteristic features.

Thankfully, we have been blessed to live so close to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH where the heart center, colorectal center and urology centers are phenomenal and have literally saved our buddy's life. Bray has had 8 surgeries to date and had his open heart surgery at just 8 weeks old to repair his CHD.

Raising funds for congenital heart defect (CHD) research is not only critically important to all babies born with, and children and adults living with CHDs, it is also incredibly important to our family.

By donating to help me reach my fundraising goal, you're helping to fund the most promising research into CHDs - America's most common birth defect.

Together we can make a life-saving difference in honor of our Brayve Brayden! Thank you in advance for your support! - Jaclyn, Mom of Brayden