Baby Kareem’s Heart Journey

Help Baby Kareem Fight for His Heart

My name is Yelda. I am a 30-year-old wife and mother of three beautiful children: Gabriel (9), Aya (7), and Amani (2). My husband works full-time in a blue-collar job, and I work full-time in charity/ humanitarian work. Our lives have always been pretty simple and we’ve always sincerely loved helping others.

This year, we were blessed with the news of our fourth and last baby—a baby we prayed so hard for, completing our family with 2 boys and 2 girls— it was a blessing, it was perfect.. Our family was overjoyed, dreaming of the day we’d hold him in our arms. We chose the name Kareem, after my husband’s father who passed away; which means “generous and noble,” because that is who we hoped he would grow to be.

Our world was turned upside at 24 weeks, our precious baby was diagnosed with two rare and complex heart conditions:

• Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) – meaning the entire left side of his heart is underdeveloped. A life threatening condition where only half his heart is developing and low functioning.

• Dextrocardia - meaning his heart is positioned on the right side of his chest.

These words shattered us. We were asked immediately and so insensitively, “Will you keep him?” For us, it was never a question. This is our son. He is ours to love and fight for.

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What lies ahead for Baby Kareem

Kareem was due October 7, 2025, but he will be delivered a month early. Within a few days of his birth, he will undergo his first open-heart surgery to give his tiny heart a fighting chance.

This will be the first of three major surgeries:

1. At birth – to re-route his blood flow so he can survive.

2. At 3-6 months old – to adjust his heart as he grows.

3. At 2-4 years old – to complete the reconstruction of his heart.

Even after all of these, there is a chance they may not be enough. One day, he might need a heart transplant. I pray with everything in me that these three surgeries will be enough for him to grow up, play with his siblings, and live a full life with beautiful childhood memories.

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Our Family’s New Reality

Since this diagnosis, every day has been an emotional rollercoaster—fear, hope, tears, and faith. Our lives will change in every way to give Kareem the best chance at healing and growing:

• Our older kids will be homeschooled this year because Kareem’s immune system will be fragile and his lung capacity weak

• My husband will need to take leave from work so that one of us can always be by Kareem’s side in the hospital while the other cares for our children at home.

• We will face weeks and months of hospital stays, travel, and medical aftercare.

We don’t know exactly what the future will hold. But we believe we were chosen to be Kareem’s parents for a reason, and we are ready to fight alongside our little angel.

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Why We Are Asking for Help

I have always been someone who struggles to ask for help, but find much peace in helping others. This is the first time in my life that I have no choice but to reach out for help. Over the years in my line of work I have witnessed the amazing things possible when humanity comes together through compassion and generosity.

We need your prayers.

We need your love.

And now, we need your support.

With both of us, especially dad being primary provider; being out of work for maybe his first year of life, with medical, travel, homeschooling costs, and living expenses during Kareem’s long recovery, we are facing a burden that we cannot carry alone.

We are humbly asking for help to raise $50,000 to support our family during this critical time. Every dollar will go toward:

• Hospital stays and travel expenses

• Medication, medical care, and special equipment for Kareem

• Basic living expenses while we are unable to work and caring for him full-time with 3 young children who need us as well

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How You Can Help

1. Pray for Kareem. Please keep him in your hearts and prayers.

2. Share our story. Every share can reach someone who may help.

3. Donate if you are able. Any amount, no matter how small, will bring us closer to giving Kareem the care and support he needs to survive and thrive along with peace of mind for our family as we face the most difficult time in our lives

We are so deeply grateful for every act of kindness, for every prayer whispered, and for everyone who chooses to stand beside us through this battle.

From the bottom of our hearts—thank you.

With love and hope,

The Saeed Family

We will be posting updates here but you can also follow along our journey on Instagram: heartwarriorkareem