Meet Ruby Jane, a kindergartner at Grand Ledge Willow Ridge Elementary School. Ruby is a fun-loving 5 year old (almost 6) and the youngest of four kids to Gail and Dave Schupbach. At 24 weeks pregnant, Ruby’s parents learned that their little girl had a congenital heart defect (CHD). Ruby was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot, Pulmonary Atresia with VSD and MAPCAs. Pulmonary Atresia is one of the more rare CHDs, affecting 1:10,000 kids, in which the valve connecting the heart and lungs doesn’t form. 

Just looking at her you would never know there was anything out-of-the-ordinary with Ruby — she appears to be just like any other bright-eyed, princess-loving, curious little diva. Since birth, Ruby has been an amazingly courageous little victor at University of Michigan’s, C.S. Mott's Children's Hospital. In Ruby’s nearly 6 years, she has undergone three open-heart surgeries and countless catheterizations in Ann Arbor. 

Unfortunately, Ruby faces bigger continued health challenges, as the pressure in her heart is more than double normal pressures and she has very limited blood flow to her lungs.The pressure is to a point that no one would be able to withstand for a long period of time which is why she has been referred to the world-renowned doctors at Stanford University’s Lucile Packard’s Children’s Hospital.

During Ruby's next procedure they will replace a leaking artificial valve in her heart, attempt to map out her full anatomy and work to extend blood flow further from her heart into her lungs in hopeful preparation of a future reconstructive heart surgery. This week-long trip is scheduled for the beginning of October in Palo Alto, California. The cardiologists are optimistic progress can be made for Ruby.

So many people have reached out asking how they can help and we are always overwhelmed by the outpouring generosity of family, friends, co-workers and our community. If you want to show some love and contribute to airfare, lodging and transportation to help lower the costs of multiple upcoming trips to Stanford University, we are forever grateful and appreciative.  As always we will gladly accept any words of encouragement or prayers you can offer, this has been a very difficult journey at times and the path forward isn’t always clear.

We want nothing more than for Ruby to experience making new friends in kindergarten and all the other wonderful things her childhood could have in store for her.

From the bottom of our hearts (whether perfect or not), thank you.

#TeamRubyJane