Hi! I'm Elizabeth, Katherine and Jaclyn's sister. As many of you know, my nephew Brooks Henderson Beeler was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) at the end of August. Below is an excerpt from Katherine and Jaclyn sharing what HLHS is and the experiences they will encounter over the next year.

"HLHS is a severe congenital heart defect in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped. In a child with HLHS: The mitral valve is too small or completely closed, the left ventricle is very small and the aortic valve is too small or completely closed.

This news was shocking, scary, and devastating for us. The last few months have felt like a blur of emotional ups and downs, long appointments, and sleepless nights. Brooks will now be delivered at Monroe Carell Jr, Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Our family will relocate to Nashville for most of December and January so we can all be together and close to the hospital. Babies born with HLHS have to undergo at least 3 open heart surgeries. Typically, the first one is during the first week of life, the second between 3 and 6 months old and the third around 3-4 years old. There are still many unknowns, many complications that could occur, and many anxieties. After finally having several appointments with our team of doctors at Vanderbilt last week, we feel very thankful that we will be able to deliver at Vanderbilt and feel certain that Brooks is in amazing hands with his team of doctors and surgeons. We are incredibly thankful for the ways our friends and family have already surrounded us with so much love and support."

While exploring housing options for Katherine and Jaclyn, we discovered that the Ronald McDonald house does not allow siblings to stay there due to the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am raising money to support housing in Nashville near the Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt so that Katherine, Jaclyn, Bentley, Sarih, and Mckenzie have a comfortable place to spend Christmas as a family while baby Brooks is receiving all of the medical attention that he needs at Vanderbilt. My goal is to raise $5000, the average price for an airbnb for a family of 5 close to Vanderbilt. I hope you will join me in providing the Beelers with a comfortable place to spend the holidays.