Our family has been impacted by congenital heart disease (CHD) more than most people can imagine. My sister, my niece, and my son Owen were all born with severe congenital heart defects. Watching the people you love fight battles they never asked for changes you forever.

For years, I found myself asking the same questions: Why does this happen? How does it happen? Can it be prevented?

When Owen received his diagnosis during my pregnancy, and we officially became a family with three CHD warriors, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I will never forget walking out of that hospital carrying the weight of a future I never imagined. It felt as though it was my own heart that had stopped working.

As many of you know, Owen lost his battle with CHD when he was just one week old. The past year without him in our arms has been the most painful journey of our lives. While we can’t change Owen’s story, we can help change someone else’s.

That’s why I’m proud to support The Children’s Heart Foundation as they celebrate 30 years of funding research that saves lives and changes futures. For three decades, CHF has helped advance the treatments, surgical techniques, and discoveries that give children with congenital heart defects a better chance at life.

CHD is the most common birth defect, yet it remains significantly underfunded and under-researched. Research is what improves survival rates, reduces complications, and gives more Heart Warriors the opportunity to celebrate birthdays, graduations, and milestones with their families.

Today, I’m asking you to join us in building a legacy in Owen’s name. Every donation, no matter the size, helps fund the research that turns heartbreak into hope.

Let’s do it for Owen. Let’s breathe for Owen. Let’s make a difference for every child and family affected by CHD.

? Owen Wayne Henderson

Forever our little Heart Warrior.