We walk to support the hundreds of thousands of Americans who live with the challenges associated with a congenital heart defect.
We walk to provide hope by raising vital dollars to continue our missions of services, programs, and cutting-edge research.
We walk to honor those individuals in our lives, including Ben and Jaz:
Ben was diagnosed with Transposition of the Great Arteries when he was only 11 hours old. Transposition of the Great Arteries is a congenital heart defect in which his aorta and pulmonary artery were reversed. At five days old he underwent corrective open-heart surgery. Benjamin is now a precocious and active toddler who keeps up with his older brother. The surgical techniques used to save Benjamin were not around 30 years ago. It is because of the research funded by The Children‘s Heart Foundation that Benjamin is such a healthy, happy boy today. Benjamin‘s family is so grateful for their miracle.
Jaz was born in 1987, and while in the hospital, a nurse noticed she looked blue when she cried. This nurse called a doctor in to look at her, and her family was given an all-clear since he noticed nothing wrong. However, the nurse wouldn‘t let it go- she knew something wasn‘t right. Before Jaz was discharged, the same nurse asked another doctor to look at the baby, and only after a transport to Children‘s Memorial Hospital, Jaz‘s family was given a diagnosis of a complex CHD. To this day, the family thinks of that nurse as their hero. At five days old, Jaz had a shunt inserted, and when she outgrew that one at 18 months, another was inserted. At age 11, she underwent a total reconstructive surgery in Boston, and it was a complete success. Jaz is a college student at the University of Arizona, a pre-med major and an active member of the Alpha Phi Sorority. Her life has been remarkable in so many ways, and her family is very grateful for all the help and support she has received.