I want to express my heartfelt thanks for taking a moment to visit my fundraising page.

Char’s Sharks: Walking for Congenital Heart Defect Awareness

When Charlotte was born, we were told she had a heart murmur. We were reassured that many newborn murmurs are innocent and that no further testing was needed.

We brought our beautiful three-day-old baby home and were soaking in all of the newborn bliss. That night, Charlotte and I were awake for almost the entire night—which, with a three-day-old baby, didn’t seem unusual. But as the night went on, she became increasingly irritable. By 6 am, I noticed that her breathing had changed so I immediately brought her back to the hospital.

What followed was a whirlwind that no parent ever expects.

Charlotte was diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta and a ventricular septal defect (VSD)—a critical congenital heart defect requiring urgent intervention. By the time she was diagnosed, she was already in cardiogenic shock and first needed to be stabilized before she could safely undergo surgery.

At just 11 days old, Charlotte underwent open-heart surgery. Her incredible surgical team was able to repair both her coarctation of the aorta and her VSD.

Her surgery was on a Monday, and by Friday, we were home together again.

We are incredibly grateful for the doctors, nurses, surgeons, and entire cardiac care team who fought alongside Charlotte and our family. We are also deeply thankful for the support of the Children’s Heart Foundation, whose work helps advance research and improve outcomes for children born with congenital heart defects.

Charlotte was born brave, and she continues to inspire us every single day.

We are walking as Char’s Sharks to raise awareness about congenital heart defects—the most common type of birth defect—and to help support continued research that can lead to earlier detection, better treatments, and brighter futures for children like Charlotte.

Our hope is that by sharing Charlotte’s story, we can help another family recognize the signs, advocate for their baby, and ultimately prevent another child from becoming as critically ill as Charlotte did.

Please consider supporting Char’s Sharks and helping us make a difference in the lives of children born with congenital heart defects. Every donation, share, and show of support means so much to our family.

For Charlotte. For heart warriors everywhere. ?❤️

Thank you for helping us give a voice to little hearts like hers.