Our journey into the heart world started 8 years ago when we learned that our son, Bridger, would be born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome- meaning he would only have half a heart and would require several open heart surgeries and lifelong palliative care to survive.
We were very surprised by Bridger’s diagnosis as we had no congenital or heart defects in our family history. We learned that congenital heart defects affect 1 in 100 babies born.
Bridger’s heart condition was a death sentence 30 years ago. Thanks to research and donors like you, the oldest survivors are now in their 30s and Bridger is an active boy that loves sports, hunting, fishing and is an amazing big brother to Riley and Sienna.
Bridger will require continued medical care and needs research to progress to keep him healthy. His heart condition leads to liver cirrhosis, heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and several other life-threatening conditions. We are extremely blessed with Bridger’s health, but he is starting to show signs of liver issues. We are seeing the specialist at CHOP next year to be proactive, but significant research is needed to address these liver issues and keep him healthy. We also hope that research leads to him being able to grow his own heart via stem cells for when a transplant is needed.
Your donation will fund groundbreaking research that literally keeps hearts beating and helps people have longer, healthier lives. We have experienced it first hand! Thank you so much for your generosity! We love you!