Why We Walk
I remember sitting in that room, staring at the ultrasound screen, looking at Quinn’s tiny heart. A heart that was already fighting. A heart that looked broken in ways I never imagined possible.
What stayed with me just as strongly as the diagnosis was the realization that I had never really known this world existed.
Despite the books.
Despite the birthing classes.
Despite being the kind of mom who researches everything.
Congenital heart defects were never truly discussed. Not in a way that prepared me. Not in a way that stayed with me. If I had heard about them before, I must have scrolled past, assuming they were rare or distant. Something that happened to other families.
They aren’t.
Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect. One in every 110 babies is born with a CHD. That truth hit hard. The weight of my ignorance turned into humility, and then into purpose.
Our Story and Our Faith
In the middle of fear and uncertainty, we clung to our faith.
We prayed boldly. We asked others to pray with us. And by the grace of God, Jesus miraculously healed Quinn. Her story is one of restoration, and we will never stop giving thanks for that gift.
But not every story unfolds the same way.
While we believe deeply in the power of prayer and the goodness of God, we also know that many families walk a very different road. Some continue fighting. Some live with lifelong complications. Some experience unimaginable loss.
And every one of those stories matters.
Our faith does not lead us to look away from the hard outcomes. It calls us to step toward them with compassion, generosity, and action.
Our Purpose
Our heart for The Children's Heart Foundation was a way to pay it forward.
Not every child’s story ends like ours did. The CHF exists for the babies born into a fight they did not choose, and for the parents learning how to be strong while their hearts are breaking.
It exists for the families spending their first days, weeks, and months in a cardiac ICU. For the parents watching oxygen levels and heart rates instead of sleeping at home. For the babies fighting one heartbeat and one breath at a time.
It also exists because CHD research remains critically underfunded. There is still no true cure. And far too many families walk this journey feeling unseen and alone.
Community Matters
This is not just about raising money. It is about making sure families know they are not alone.
It is about reminding heart moms, heart dads, heart warriors, and heart angels that there is a community standing beside them. A community built on empathy, shared experience, and love.
Because while this journey can be lonely, painful, and overwhelming, no family should have to walk it unsupported.
Why It Matters
Every 15 minutes, a baby is born with a congenital heart defect.
Awareness saves lives.
Research creates hope.
Community brings comfort.
Faith gives meaning.
The Children's Heart Foundation exists so that more children have a fighting chance, more families feel supported, and more hearts are held along the way.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for caring. And thank you for helping us turn faith, gratitude, and purpose into impact.