Our daughter, Alice Mary Larkin, was born in July of 2013. We brought her home with confirmation of good health from all the doctors who cared for her.
5 days later, we noticed our beautiful baby girl didn't have good coloring - she looked blue around her lips and nose and she felt cold. We rushed her to the emergency room at Cincinnati Children’s.
We were shocked to find out that Alice was born with several heart defects that made it impossible for her to breathe on her own. We stayed at the hospital for the next 6 weeks while the team of doctors and staff took care of our precious newborn baby. Alice endured 2 heart surgeries before she was three months old.
While Alice had a difficult start at home with a feeding tube and many medications, she has had a fantastic outcome!
Alice is a strong survivor! She is 7years old and loves to try new things. She is focused on indoor soccer and futsal and also takes gymnastics classes. This year she tried pickle ball for the first time and will will try lacrosse in the spring. It is such a blessing that after her rough start, her heart functions just like a kid who never had surgery. She is a spunky and happy girl who is always having fun!
If Alice was born in 2021, she never would have left the hospital prior to surgery. Due to funding from the AHA, there is a test that catches defects like Alice's so parents aren't put in the scary position of having a "blue baby" at home. The money raised by the American Heart Association makes this type of recovery possible. Please consider joining our team or making a donation. Thank you!
