I want to express my heartfelt thanks for taking a moment to visit my fundraising page.

I have been a cardiac ICU nurse for almost 4 years but have only joined the team of one patient. The first time I was Kal’s nurse was right after his first open heart surgery, which he handled better than everyone expected. 

Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t separate Kal from his breathing tube, so made the difficult decision to give him a trach. After a trach is placed, patients are kept paralyzed and sedated for 5-7 days to allow the site time to heal. We all but promised Nick and Stacy a boring week that would allow them to spend time away from the hospital together for the first time in months. Kal had other ideas though, developing a hyperinflammatory response to the trach that required the addition of a rheumatologist to his team, more genetic screenings, extra treatments, and many stressful days for those caring for him.

After that, we couldn’t ever tell Kal our plans or even say he was having a “good day” because he would make you eat your words. I never thought I would be using reverse psychology on a four month old, but he was playing advanced mental games for his age. Kal liked to move slow, and the medical team bowed to his wishes. Kal liked one change max per day, and we put that in all of our sign out reports. Kal didn’t like his Glenn, the second open heart surgery, so we took it down. We came to understand that Kal was the boss and nothing we did would supersede that. As we were learning all these facets of Kal, Kal was learning about the world. He was so inquisitive- he loved looking all around and especially up at his parents when they held him. He learned to smile the best smile that was easily brought out by music and toys and even just waving your fingers in front of his eyes. He still loved holding your fingers so tightly and delighting all of his therapists with his progress. His favorite new trick was sticking his finger down his throat until he threw up, which his parents and nurses were not as fond of, but he seemed to think was hilarious. Every day with Kal was spent marveling at how cute he was, and I am so proud of how much he accomplished.

This year, I'm walking with extra purpose as The Children's Heart Foundation celebrates 30 incredible years of funding research that saves lives and changes futures. The Children's Heart Foundation's crucial mission—advancing the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital heart defects through groundbreaking research that improves survival rates, reduces complications, and helps Heart Warriors celebrate more birthdays than ever before.

I warmly invite you to become a part of this milestone journey by supporting my fundraising efforts. Together, we can raise the funds essential to continue the life-saving research that turns heartbreak into hope. Your contribution holds immeasurable value to me and to every family who needs CHF's support.

Thank you for your generosity, and for standing beside me in this mission. Your support means the world.