2024 Philadelphia Congenital Heart Walk

On oct 5^th 2019 I gave birth to a beautiful little girl whom we assumed was healthy we had a wonderful first 24 hrs. welcoming Elizabethanne (Izzy) into the world until later that night. Later in the evening Izzy was turning blue. A nurse noticed and by some miracle a cardiologist from CHOP happened to be in the NICU seeing another patient. He took one look at Izzy and knew exactly what was wrong with her. They told us our daughter has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

Izzy had 3 open heart procedures in the first week of life, starting with the Norwood Procedure. There were a lot of ups and downs, some complications, and a lot of trying to figure out what mix of medicine was going to work. Unfortunately, that first week she made the doctors work and they told us they didn’t trust her because no matter how confident they were about having her stable she wasn’t making it easy on them. After a month and half of living in Chop, we home!

6 months later she came back for another surgery, the Glenn procedure. We were there for 6 days and went home. After two weeks we were back at Chop. Izzy had formed fluid on her lungs from the procedure. We went home after a few weeks, and everything was well.

Then when Izzy was 3, we were preparing to have another operation, the Fontan Procedure. But there was an issue with anesthesia when Izzy went under for her MRI. So, we put off surgery for another year just to make sure that the issues with anesthesia weren’t due to anything serious.

Now we are in 2023 and Izzy has passed all the tests and scans and did all that she was asked to do so in August of 2023 Izzy had her Fontan Surgery. Izzy had informed her surgeon that she would only be in the hospital for 10 days. Everything went beautifully. We were told that the first night after the surgery would be the worst, but as usual Izzy had to prove them wrong. She slept the whole night. The next day she was up walking. 10 days later she was going home. Since then, Izzy has been striving. She is smart and funny and energetic. She has more energy than she has ever had. Her pulse ox went from 74 to 93. With out this research and the doctors who have given their lives to this, God only knows where Izzy would be.

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. It's not just a walk; it's a stride toward changing lives. 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.

I warmly invite you to become a part of this significant journey by supporting my 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.