On March 6th, 2024, Koralie Elliana graced the Cooper family with her arrival (mom: Kayleen Cooper, dad: Corey Cooper). Koralie was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries (TGA), a serious and rare congenital heart defect where the two main arteries leaving the heart are reversed. The two primary arteries involved are the aorta and the pulmonary artery.

This reversal of arteries leads to altered blood flow. Oxygen-poor blood circulates through the right side of the heart and returns to the body without passing through the lungs, while oxygen-rich blood flows through the left side and goes back to the lungs without reaching the rest of the body.

In addition to TGA, Koralie was born with a hole in her pumping chambers. Typically, this hole, known as the ductus arteriosus, closes on its own after birth. However, due to Koralie's small heart size, her medical team opted to place stents in the ductus arteriosus to keep it open, and she received five stents during this procedure. They also ballooned the hole in her heart to ensure the mixing of oxygen-poor and oxygen-rich blood to supply both her body and lungs.

On September 1st, 2024, Koralie tested positive for COVID-19 and spent 12 days in the cardiac ICU, where a sixth stent was placed within her existing stents. Following this, her doctors decided to schedule her open-heart surgery for sometime in November or December of this year, with the exact date still to be determined.

Kayleen and Corey have been dedicated to providing the best care for Koralie while also being present for her older siblings: Camden (13), Kiley (11), Callan (7), and Cylas (3). Despite these challenges, life continues with medical bills piling up, doctor appointments ongoing, and the need to support all their children. When Koralie has her open-heart surgery, Corey will need to take extended time off work to be with his family. We invite you to help ease a small part of the financial burden facing this family!