Hello everyone,

My sister Ashley was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome in 2024. Marfan syndrome is a genetic connective tissue disorder that can affect the aorta.

During her pregnancy, Ashley was considered high risk, and doctors believed she might need aortic surgery that same year. Thankfully, things remained stable, so instead, she was placed on strict restrictions after having Harvey in hopes of delaying surgery and giving her more time to recover.

Since 2024, her doctors have closely monitored her aorta for any changes. Last week, Ashley had a routine echocardiogram that showed her aorta had grown in size. Because sometimes the images from an echo aren’t completely reliable, she was told yesterday morning to have a CT scan to confirm the findings.

Ashley went to work after the appointment, but she was then contacted by her nurse and told to go immediately to the ER. The CT showed that her aorta had begun to dissect.

She was airlifted to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where she would need emergency open-heart surgery to replace her Type A aortic root.

Her surgery began around 1:00 PM and could take anywhere from 6–12 hours. She has a long road ahead of her, and her recovery will be extensive. She will likely be out of work for several months and will need a lot of help and support during her recovery.

If you are able, please consider helping Ashley during this difficult time, or sharing this with anyone who may want to donate toward her recovery. She is going to need a lot of help, love, support, and prayers from everyone.

Thank you so much to everyone who has reached out, prayed, shared, or offered to help. ❤️

I will start updating this post with pictures and videos as often as I can. My older sister is with her now, and I will be with her as often as I can as well.

Please keep Ashley in your thoughts and prayers. ❤️