Why I support the American Heart Association…..
I was born with congenital heart disease which has required four major open heart surgeries (occurring between the ages of 7 days old to 28 years old), and I still have more surgeries to go. When I was born, I was not expected to live past the age of five. Thanks to God’s blessing and the Heart Association's efforts, I have had the opportunity to live a wonderfully full life with very few limitations.
The loss of two of my grandparents, one from a heart attack and one from a stroke, and my friend Caelen is the reason I am so passionate about supporting the American Heart Association (AHA). Caelen was diagnosed in utero with a rare and life threatening congenital heart disease called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. He had his first open heart surgery at 3 days old and has undergone 2 more, both of which were plagued by complications. Caelen is now nine years old, and although he is thriving, he is facing a heart transplant in the next few years. Through all of Caelen’s struggles, he has been blessed with a charming personality and indeterminable will to fight for his health. We know that without God and advances in medical technology, Caelen wouldn’t be where he is today.
Together Caelen and I are spreading awareness and raising money to fund and fight Congenital Heart Defects (CHD's).
It is because of donations to the AHA, that we have options, as well as access to life saving drugs. But more help is needed. We need the donations to keep:
• Funding more research into curing heart disease,
• And to keep funding the lifesaving drugs so that more children will grow into adults, and more adults will get to watch their families grow.
Here are the facts about CHD’s:
• 1 in 100 babies are born with a CHD
• The most common birth defect.
• That’s 40,000 babies a year in the US alone, 1 million worldwide.
• CHD’s receive a fraction of a penny from federal funds.
• But Funding for pediatric cancer receives five times as much as for CHD’s.
• CHD’s kill twice as many children each year than all forms of pediatric cancer combined.
Please help us again this year by making a donation to the AHA so that Caelen, Troy and countless others can continue to fight CHD's.
My family and I want to ensure that future generations of children, like our friend Caelen, have the opportunity to do the same. We're looking forward to Caelen and countless other children living long and heart healthy lives through the Heart Association’s advances!
We all know someone dear to us who has been impacted by heart disease. In thinking of those individuals and future generations, won't you please join us in supporting the American Heart Association's fight against heart disease.
