Thank you for visiting my fundraising page for the Congenital Heart Walk. Raising funds for CHD research is critically important to all Heart Warriors and Heart Angels, and personally very meaningful to me.  Here's a snapshot of my story.  

In 1962, at about 9 months of age, Mike Putnam’s parents were informed that his failure to thrive and loss of weight was due to a complex congenital heart defect.  In a time when congenital heart surgery was not commonplace, especially in babies, local doctors and clergy in rural New York provided little hope that Mike would survive more than just a few months.  They braced the Putnam family for the worst and suggested they consider having another child. 

Refusing to accept the seemingly inevitable outcome, Mike’s parents embarked on a quest in search of hope for a longer life for him.  That quest would take them from their hometown of Bainbridge, New York to New York City, Columbus, Ohio and eventually to Rochester, Minnesota.  Along the way, events convinced the family of the life-saving value of their faith in God, trust in medical science and personal perseverance; and that all three must have been working in concert during Mike’s CHD journey.  Fifty-nine years later, Mike will once again walk with the Cardiac Trailblazers '62.  We hope that you can join us for the walk or consider a donation.

Please help us to fund CHD research by making a donation to my personal fundraising page. Together we can make a life-saving difference!