Krystal Robertson’s Memorial Fund

Krystal Robertson passed away on February 10, 2018, at 1am. Her loss is being felt by not only her family that loved her so much, but by the thousands of lives that she impacted during her short life. She was an AMAZING young lady who will be missed beyond measure and will remembered ALWAYS! ***The following was taken from her kids captain information page on the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital website: After Krystal was born, her parents noticed Krystal’s chest “caving in,” and her fingers were quite long. She was also showing signs of heart problems, so the family was referred to UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital for genetic testing.The results confirmed that Krystal had neonatal Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that weakens the body’s connective tissue, which acts as “glue” that helps support organs, blood vessels, bones, joints, and muscles.For those with Marfan syndrome, the weakness of this “glue” can lead to serious complications.When Krystal was 4 months old, her heart began to fail, and she underwent her first surgery to repair valve damage. She had another surgery in September 2012, where doctors used pig valves to replace the valves in her heart that were leaking significantly.After that, Krystal began waiting for a heart transplant. She waited in the hospital for over a year, which was very difficult for Krystal and for her family. Unfortunately, a heart never came. It became so difficult for her to remain in the hospital for so long, and her mother worried about her quality of life. After much consideration by her family, Krystal, and her physicians....it was decided that she should be discharged to allow her to enjoy her life and spend time with family. Krystal’s heart continued to fail, and very sadly she lost her life long battle on February 10, 2018 at 1am with her mother at her side.