Two weeks ago, Amanda Brown decided to visit the hospital because she was experiencing bouts of dizziness, light head ness, and difficulty breathing. She did not think it was anything too concerning, but due to her lifelong heart condition, she thought the best decision was to get everything checked  - just to be on the safe side. The hospital staff requested to keep her overnight, just to run a few tests and ensure everything was alright. 14 days, numerous tests, and two hospital transfers later, we have come to find out that she will require another Open Heart Surgery. It will be her third, and she will be having her mechanical OnX mitral valve replaced with a new one.

Amanda was born with a heart defect, and had surgery for the first time at the age of 5 to repair a whole in her ASD. She had another, bigger surgery in 2010 where her ASD was repaired a second time and mitral valve was replaced with a mechanical valve, and a pacemaker was installed to keep her heart beating. In 2020 she has a second pacemaker installed. Family and doctors alike believed that this would be the last surgery she needed, and so the situation we find ourselves in now is completely unexpected. 

We are blessed enough to say that we have one of the top Cardiac teams for her type of Congenital Heart Defect on board with us, and we know that her heart could not possibly be in better hands. The surgery will be done at Shands hospital in Gainesville, which is quite a ways from home and adds to the cost of this whole process significantly. 

Amanda is a terrific mother and a kind soul who has always done the most for her family and friends. She has always placed her daughters first in life, making sure that they have always been provided and cared for no matter what. This sudden surgery has effected them most.

In this difficult time, we would like to support Amanda and her daughters in dealing with this hardship. Your support would assist with household bills, the cost of care, post-op medications, medical supplies, travel, and lodging during and after the surgery.  We appreciate you listening to Amanda’s story, and are eternally grateful for any amount that can be spared in these difficult times.