Thank you for visiting Team Molly Grace! Every 15 minutes, a baby in this country is born with a congenital heart defect, making CHDs America's most common birth defect. The Chicago Congenital Heart Walk is dedicated to raising funds to support The Children's Heart Foundation's mission: to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of CHDs by funding the most promising research.

Why we're walking: Molly was diagnosed with d-TGA (Transposition of the Great Arteries) during a routine fetal echo at 22 weeks. Upon diagnosis, we were inundated with questions, concerns, but also - hope and reassurance. Thanks to the advancements in science and research, Molly's heart defect was able to be detected early, so she received the best possible care before, during, and immediately after her birth. Molly's first heart procedure was completed just 3 hours after her birth. She then had open heart surgery at 6 days old to switch the location of her pulmonary artery and her aorta, and provide vital oxygen-rich blood to the rest of her body. Molly had her 3rd heart procedure in late February, which placed two shunts in her pulmonary branch vessels which were narrowed due to surgery. She'll continue to receive replacement shunts in her heart as she grows. She will forever be a heart warrior. 

We're so grateful for the science, research, technology and skilled practitioners that allowed Molly to survive and thrive.

Will you join us? By supporting our team or joining us in our walk, you're supporting research that will help save and improve the lives of babies born, and children and adults living, with CHDs.

On behalf of Molly, thank you so very much!