Our dear friends’ baby girl has been fighting for her life since birth, showing incredible strength through every challenge. She was born on April 3rd at 37 weeks at Sacred Heart Hospital with a known diagnosis of two holes in her heart and a narrowed aorta. She spent 10 days in the NICU and underwent her first surgery — a coarctation repair to widen her aorta. After recovering in the PICU, she was finally able to go home at 22 days old.

For her first month at home, she required a feeding tube before transitioning to bottles. She was doing well and steadily gaining weight. Then, on July 7th, after just two months at home, she experienced a cardiac episode and was rushed back to Sacred Heart. She has been there ever since, fighting through fluid in her lungs, multiple bacterial infections, blood clots, sedation withdrawals, and a virus.

She spent two weeks on a ventilator, was heavily sedated, and has been given a long list of medications. Through it all, this little fighter has continued to push forward. She is now at a point where she cannot gain weight until both the holes in her heart are repaired and her aorta — which now requires a full graft instead of the previous widening — is addressed. Her open-heart surgery is scheduled for 8/12. Because she is smaller than doctors would like and still not far removed from infection, this will be a high-risk surgery. We are asking for continued prayers for her and her family during this time.

In the midst of all this, her parents have juggled countless meetings, doctor appointments, and hospital visits, all while raising four boys at home. They have relied heavily on family and babysitters to care for their sons so they can be with her as much as possible. Many workdays have been missed so they can be at the hospital, holding her hand and supporting her every step of the way.