Willow-Grace is the 5-month-old daughter of Russell Parks and Abby Hahn. She was born with several congenital heart defects: Transposition of the Great Arteries, Pulmonary Stenosis, and Ventricular Septal Defect. Willow-Grace spent a month in the heart center at STL Children’s Hospital after birth, where she had several procedures on her heart, including the placement of a PDA stent, and also suffered a stroke.

When she was finally discharged, Willow-Grace was making great progress at home, up until recently when she began to experience complications with her PDA stent, which ultimately led to her being rushed into emergency surgery on Sunday. After a nearly 15-hour procedure, her heart looks wonderful, but other complications led to her lungs being injured, and she came back from the OR on an ECMO machine to support her heart and lungs while her little body takes its time to heal.

After another trip to the OR this past Thursday to close her VSD and come off of ECMO, she is now working towards recovery but still has a long way to go. Any support for this family is greatly appreciated as they navigate their time between the hospital and caring for their 2-year-old daughter, Penelope.