I am the Founder of Hope for Hearts a non-profit in the Detroit area. I am a mother of 6 children and 2 of my children were born with Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs). My oldest son was born with Half a Heart! We have seen him through 3 open heart surgeries, 5 heart caths, 4 surgeries to remove broken/infected sternum (inside) wires and so much more. His heart defect was "undetected" therefore he is also a stroke survivor which left him partially paralyzed on his left side. He takes 5-7 daily medications, sees 19 Specialist's including OT, PT and Speech. Looking at him no-one would ever imagine all that he's endured. He shows his scar the "door to his heart proudly" and he will tell any one who will listen about his "special" heart. My fifth son was also born with a CHD. When I was pregnant with him I had fetal echo's and his heart looked great! Unfortunately some CHDs do not present right away or right after birth. His CHD was diagnosed when he was 1 week old. One day he will require medication for a leaky valve and a surgery to repair or replace that valve. It is very important to our families to raise the much needed funding for Pediatric Congenital Heart Defects and also to tell my son's heart journey's in hopes of saving lives. Hope for Hearts was inspired by my son. My mom and I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children with CHDs and our idea quickly became our Cook book. We collected recipes from family, friends, neighbors and other heart families, my dad designed the cover and my mom typed the master copy over several months. Three companies found out about our idea and donated everything for 5,000 cook books! In 2006 we became a non profit and in 2012 we donated $40,000 to Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation to help fund the Home Monitoring Program. The Home Monitoring Program allows parents of high-risk infants with heart defects to take their babies home from the hospital with peace of mind, thanks to the Ticker Tracker app made possible through the help of Hope for Hearts donations thus far. This app links families to the hospital, where staff can track the infant's vital signs in real time. The aim of the cardiac home monitoring program is to keep vulnerable infants with complex cardiac conditions alive and well before and after multiple surgeries these infants will need. Studies have found dramatically reduced mortality rates among fragile cardiac patients who are part of the home monitoring programs at other children's hospitals. Over the years Hope for Hearts has grown; we host an annual craft show, an annual dinner and silent auction and we also put together an annual calendar featuring local CHD survivors and angels. To date we have raised over $120,000 to support the Home Monitoring Program. However, funding is low and at this time the Program needs our help. The Home Monitoring Program is in need of 7 (new not refurbished) I-Pads to include in their program and help it expand. Hope for Hearts started this fundraising campaign to reach out and ask our wonderful communities and Businesses for help. Please consider helping us reach our goal. We are looking to fund 7 new (not used or refurbished) I-Pads for the Cardiac Home Monitoring Program at Children's Hospital of Michigan
