Please consider donating to the Children's Heart Foundation in honor of my son, Sam, and every kid battling congenital heart defects. 

Sam was diagnosed in utero with transposition of the great arteries, ventricular inversion, ventricular septal defect, and subaortic stenosis. He has had two open heart surgeries, two cardiac catheterization procedures, and a permanent pacemaker implanted. It is likely that Sam will need another open heart surgery before he starts kindergarten. 

Despite this traumatic start to life, Sam is a growing and thriving four-year-old living with virtually no limitations. Thanks entirely to the advancements in early diagnosis, cardiac imaging, surgical techniques, and electrophysiology, he is able to be a normal kid—running, playing, and learning without getting winded, turning blue, or worse. These advancements, funded by organizations like the Children’s Heart Foundation, are the only reason my child is alive. 

Congenital heart defects affect 1 in 110 kids born. Research funded by The Children’s Heart Foundation is saving lives and has already improved survival rates, longevity, and quality of life for CHD patients like Sam in dramatic and life-changing ways. In the past two decades, death rates from congenital heart defects have dropped by 37.5%. As a result, the Foundation is now supporting research on the developmental, transitional, and lifelong care needs affecting the millions of Americans with CHDs who are living longer lives than ever before.