Helping Grace's Heart Fund

Grace is a happy, social, and energetic seven-year-old girl who loves anything Dora.  She lives with her nine-year-old brother Joseph, her mother Lisa, and her father Dave in Thunder Bay. She has been taking swimming lessons and enjoys playing with her friends. Grace was born with a heart condition called transposition of the great arteries, which is a serious but rare heart defect, in which the two main arteries leaving the heart are reversed. This condition changes the way blood circulates through the body, leaving a shortage of oxygen in blood flowing from the heart to the rest of the body. Without an adequate supply of oxygen-rich blood, the body can't function properly and Grace faces serious complications.

At three and a half months old, Grace underwent her first heart surgery while the second was just 6 weeks later due to post-operative complications. Grace had a permanent pacemaker installed. At two years old, she contracted an infection that required two further heart surgeries.  Once again, with another heart infection, Grace is now facing her fifth heart surgery at Sick Kids hospital. She is currently being treated for her infection that requires six weeks of IV antibiotics treatment followed by surgery.   They will be required to live in Toronto, 1500 km from home for at least another few months as she undergoes treatment, surgery, and recovery.  During this time, Dave needs to continue work to support his family.

As you can imagine, this will result in a huge financial burden for her family, as they will be required to pay for accommodations during the time they are in Toronto. As well, Grace’s father and brother will have to pay for multiple airline flights to travel back and forth to their hometown so that Dave can continue to work. Ontario’s Health Insurance Plan covers none of these expenses.

Please donate to help support this family in pursuing a life-saving treatment for Grace. 

 
Please help spread the word!