I never thought my life would be so affected by CHD. 

My daughter, Marci, was born with a rare heart disease called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Marci had two open-heart surgeries before her first birthday. She is such a strong person and fought so hard for life. I will always be so proud of how strong my little girl is. Sadly, on April 23rd, 2026, Marci passed away due to complications of her heart condition.  

I'm participating in this heart walk because CHD has made a huge impact on my life. Losing my daughter to her heart condition has been devastating. CHD is one of the most common heart defects in the world; it is also the most underfunded and under-researched. Before my daughter, I had no idea how common CHD is. 1 in 100 babies is born with a heart defect. If something like this is so common, it deserves more research and funding. That's my why.