When we found out we were having a baby, we were filled with joy! We went to every doctor’s appointment, and each time we were able to see him or hear his heartbeat, we got even more excited. But when we went in for what we thought would be a routine sonogram, we found out some pretty scary news… our son, Maddox, has a rare and severe heart condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome or HLHS. Neither of us had ever heard about it, but we were told he would have to be born in a specialty hospital and undergo a minimum of three open-heart surgeries. We were told without intervention, his condition is 100% fatal because the left side of his heart was severely underdeveloped. Some parents pick comfort care, while some agree to the three surgeries in hopes they work, and there’s still the understanding that their babies would have to have a heart transplant. We knew we wanted him to have the surgeries in hopes they would work.

At 3 days old, Maddox had his first surgery, the Norwood, which is where they place a shunt in his aortic arch and basically rebuild his entire aortic arch. He was a trooper and made it through and is doing alright while we wait for his second surgery around 4-6 months old.

As you can imagine, the temporary move to Texas, deductibles, and his lineup of medication is getting expensive, but he is so worth it. His dad and I just want the best for him. Even if you can’t donate, please keep this little heart warrior in your thoughts and prayers because we can use every ounce of love and support while we hope these surgeons go in and out trying to fix his heart the best they can.