I want to express my heartfelt thanks for taking a moment to visit my fundraising page.
My commitment to making a difference has led me to participate in the Congenital Heart Walk, an event that carries immense significance for me, as my daighter Grace was born with a serious Congenital Heart defect. For us, it's not just a walk, it's a stride toward changing lives jsut like Grace's. This endeavor is all about supporting The Children's Heart Foundation and their crucial mission - advancing the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital heart defects through groundbreaking research.
Grace was born in June 2008 along with her twin, Abigail. The difference between Grace & Abby is Grace was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. She had her first open heart surgery, the Norwood, on June 19, 2008. After a rough go, she had a Norwood revision on July 27, 2008, which she recovered from beautifully and left the hospital on August 12, 2008. Grace spent the first 8 1/2 weeks in the NICU. On November 18, 2008 Grace went back into the OR and had her Glenn procedure. This was by far the "easiest" surgery for us. She recovered extremely fast coming home six days later just in time for her first Thanksgiving. Over the first year of her life, Grace received many services and thrived as an infant. Thankfully she met all of her milestones in a timely manner and was never too far behind her twin sister! On May 10, 2011, Grace had her Fontan procedure. This was quite possibly the scariest day of our lives. She ended up on bypass for 5 1/2 hours and we had no idea what the outcome would be. Immediately out of the OR, Grace's cardiologist pointed out to us that she was now "pink". We were amazed at how obvious it was when looking at her little toes and fingers. No more "blue baby"! Grace had a rough road to recovery after the Fontan. She spent over a week in the PICU and scared multiple times. She was moved to the cardiac floor and spent another 2 weeks there before she had all of her tubes and lines removed, resumed eating normally and was allowed to go home. It's hard to believe that all of her surgeries were so long ago. The memories are still so vivid in this mommy's mind!
Grace is now 15 1/2 years old and doing amazing. She is an honor student in her sophomore year of high school. She is a memebr of multiple clubs, honor societies and is on the Girls' Varsity Golf Team. Grace has been through so much in her short life, but she is so resilent and strong. She NEVER complaiins about checkups, echos, stress tests, blood draws etc... The odds were stacked against her when she entered this world and she has beat them all. We are so proud of her and how truly AMAZING she is. And although she is doing well now, she is not "cured". She still has a lifetime of doctors and tests and unknowns ahead of her but I truly believe she will continue to thrive and amaze us all.
I warmly invite you to become a part of this significant journey by supporting my family's fundraising efforts. Together, we can raise the funds essential to drive forward life-saving research. Your contribution holds immeasurable value to me.
Thank you for your generosity, and for standing beside me in this mission. Your support means the world.
