St. Louis Congenital Heart Walk

As a parent, there's nothing that makes you feel more powerless than being told your child has a serious medical condition that will require major surgery and a lifetime of specialty care. Volunteering for the Children's Heart Foundation and fundraising for our Heart Walk team has been a way for me to feel like I can do something (anything) to positively impact the lives of kids like Sam. Thank you to everyone who supports #TeamSamJam by walking, donating, or spreading awareness!

Sam's Story

Sam was diagnosed in utero with transposition of the great arteries, ventricular inversion, ventricular septal defect, and subaortic stenosis. He has had three open heart surgeries, three cardiac catheterization procedures, and a permanent pacemaker implanted.

Despite this traumatic start to life, Sam is a growing and thriving six-year-old living with virtually no limitations. Thanks entirely to the advancements in early diagnosis, cardiac imaging, surgical techniques, and electrophysiology, he is able to be a normal kid—running, playing, and learning without getting winded, turning blue, or worse. These advancements, funded by organizations like the Children’s Heart Foundation, are the only reason my child is alive.

Congenital heart defects affect 1 in 110 kids born. Research funded by The Children’s Heart Foundation is saving lives and has already improved survival rates, longevity, and quality of life for CHD patients like Sam in dramatic and life-changing ways. In the past two decades, death rates from congenital heart defects have dropped by 37.5%. As a result, the Foundation is now supporting research on the developmental, transitional, and lifelong care needs affecting the millions of Americans with CHDs who are living longer lives than ever before.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for your support of Team SamJam.