December 7th 2018 Anthony Daunt will be running a 24 hour Spartan Race (obstacle course race) in Reykjavík, Iceland. His grandmothers great nephew has been in and out of the hospital since the day he was born, needing multiple surgeries to save his life. CJ didn't leave the hospital until 2 months old and has been there since August. Please consider donating for every mile Anthony runs in 24 hours (for reference, the average person will run between 35-45 miles during the course of 24 hours) in hopes to help support CJ and his family,  in time for his 1st birthday and around the holidays. We will also accept any donation amount as anything helps. 

Please see CJ’s story below:


Baby Christian (CJ) was born with multiple heart defects a year ago December 5th.  That first week of life, he needed to have surgery to correct the veins and arteries between his heart and lungs.  More heart surgeries were needed, but it was decided only what had to be done was to be repaired due to the invasive nature of so much work to the heart at the newborn state.  That first surgery and recovery took a couple months in the hospital.  Then we finally went home for 6+ months.  CJ grew and was gaining the weight and strength he needed to go through the next couple of surgeries.

In August, we returned to the hospital for the final heart repairs.  The surgeries were long and extremely complex.  His recovery was very difficult.  So much work was done on the heart that he needed a heart/lung bypass machine to recover for the first week.  In September, it was determined another surgery was necessary, focusing on heart valves.  Again, his recovery was long and difficult.  Another month later, in October, it was determined that his heart & lungs needs more time to recover with the help of breathing machine (ventilator) for not only months, but years.  To have the ventilator connected to CJ long term, he needed to breath, but the breathing tube was placed down his throat keeping him from getting up, eating, or doing activities a 1-year old does to develop and grow.  So, in October, a more permanent airway was placed by a tracheotomy and placing the tube to directly into his neck.  The hole in his neck is healing.  

We will need to be in the hospital for a few more months.  That takes us into the New Year.  When we go home, will need to have nursing care in our house.  We will need that as long as CJ is breathing through the tracheostomy tube in his neck.  It has been a long year.  But CJ has endured and stayed strong and keeps fighting.  We have some years to go and hope to continue to get stronger as we try to get home and beyond.