Help Me Give Back the Life I Was Given
At just five weeks old, I was in congestive heart failure and shock. A trip to the catheterization lab revealed a series of critical heart defects: a severely narrowed aorta (coarctation), a dysplastic aortic valve, a ventricular septal defect, and an abnormal mitral valve. I needed emergency surgery to survive.
That first life-saving procedure—a subclavian flap aortoplasty—was just the beginning. Over the years, I faced multiple interventions: a balloon valvuloplasty, an aortic valve replacement, and ultimately, the Ross Procedure. What was expected to give me just 5–7 more years gave me 22.
That patient was me.
Today, I'm a Cardiovascular Nurse, proudly walking beside patients like the child I once was—watching them not just survive, but thrive.
Since 1924, the American Heart Association has helped cut deaths from cardiovascular disease in half. This progress is made possible by people like you—those who choose to support science, care, and advocacy that save lives every single day.
That’s why I’m asking you to join me and my team, CVU Pacesetters, in the fight against heart disease.
Donate. Walk. Share our story.
Your support fuels the research, treatment, and hope that gave me my life—and can do the same for so many others.
Let’s ensure more families see their loved ones walk out of the hospital doors, just like I did.
From my heart, thank you.
— [Your Name]
