#Zipperstrong18
Ainsley
2 Years Old
She has the strength to overcome, strength to keep smiling through pain, and strength to keep pushing every day!
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2 Ventricular Septal Defects closed with open heart surgery at 3 months
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“Seeing her struggle from birth to breathe and eat without tiring was heartbreaking. It makes you thankful for every breath and every minute of the day.”
~ Ainsley’s Mommy
#zipperstrong
Bentley
6 Years Old
A girl that just loves live to the fullest.
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Dilated cardiomyopathy/Heart Transplant
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“[I'm] my child's voice, and always her biggest advocate.”
~ Bentley's Mommy
#zipperstrong
Finn
2 1/2 Years Old
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Ask him to name 22 species of sharks. He will!
Heterotaxy, Double Outlet Right Ventricle, Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return and other cardiac issues.
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“CHD is a lifelong illness with no cure, surgery only helps [my son] survive. I avoid fear of the future by remembering that worrying does not solve tomorrow’s problems, but instead strips today of its strength.”
~ Finn's Mommy
#zipperstrong
Charlotte
2 Years Old
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Charlotte has a BIG family with 11 aunts and uncles!
Ventricular and Atrial Septal Defect
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“Charlotte doesn’t have a zipper, and people assume that because she hasn’t had surgery, she isn’t that sick. Surgery is not a cure, and the struggles are still there with or without the zipper scar.”
~ Charlotte's Mommy
#zipperstrong
Dean
1 1/2 Years Old
Everyone calls him 'Happy Feet' because he already has his own dance moves!
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Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
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“There was a period after Dean’s second surgery that I struggled a lot with anxiety. It wasn’t until I taught myself to let myself have those thoughts that I learned to accept that worry is just a part of being a CHD parent. I take all my ‘worry’ thoughts, let them come, and then move one.”
~Dean’s Mommy
#zipperstrong
Makayla
7 Years Old
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A happy, smiling little girl—that’s Makayla.
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
“I don’t let little things get to me anymore knowing we have God’s protection over our Makayla.”
~ Makayla's Daddy
#zipperstrong
Anthony
4 Years Old
Big fan of Mickey Mouse.
4 Congenital Heart Defects
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"The best advice ever given to us? ‘Don’t worry about what other families do. You will establish your own normal…it's okay to be a little different,’ "
~ Anthony’s Mommy
#zipperstrong
Amelia
6 Years Old
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A little girl full of energy who never misses a beat.
Atrioventricular Canal Defect with Mitral Valve Regurgitation
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“In preschool Amelia did a body drawing. All the other kids put clothes on. Amelia made hers without a shirt and put her zipper and chest drainage tube scar. She wanted everyone to know about her special heart.”
~ Amelia's Mommy
#zipperstrong
Evelyn
3 Years Old
Sings at the top of her lungs like nobody is watching.
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Shone’s Complex
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“I will always have butterflies in my stomach before and during every cardiology appointment. Every heart parent does. But I also trust our cardiologist and she has never steered us wrong. We know Evelyn is in good hands because our doctor treats our daughter as she would her own child. That's an important quality for your care team to have. ”
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~ Evelyn's Mommy
#zipperstrong
Issac
2 Years Old
Loves food. Quite a bit.
3 surgical procedures, 2 of them, open heart surgeries
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"When he cries, sometimes I smile because he was on a ventilator for so long, and he couldn't cry. It's weird, I know, but I smile."
~ Isaac's Mommy
#zipperstrong
Caleb
8 Years Old
A fun-loving goofball always ready for a good adventure.
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome; 2 open heart surgeries, the first at just 4 days old
"...our whole world changed, what we once thought of a certainty was long gone. We learned to appreciate every breath and moment ... we value each other more."
~ Caleb's Mommy
#zipperstrong
Blake
Two years on Earth. Forever in our hearts. His little sister poses with him.
"His smile could light up a room."
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Transposition of the Great Arteries, AV Canal Defect, Pulmonary Artesia, Heterotaxy
“On October 8th, we went to the pumpkin patch. Blake held on to the pumpkin like it was one of his favorite balls, he loved to play ball. This is one of my favorite memories of Blake.”
~Blake's Mommy
#zipperstrong
Jade
11 Years Old
Loves playing with her dog Shmosby.
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2 Ventricular Septal Defects & Double-Chambered Right Ventricle
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“I'm 11 years old and I have a CHD - specifically 2 VSDs and a double-right chambered ventricle. Thankfully, I am one of the fortunate CHD patients who haven't required surgery yet! Some of the activities I enjoy include dance, violin, enjoying live music.”
~ Jade
#zipperstrong
Madeline
7 Years Old
Loves to sing and loves to dance.
3 surgical procedures, 2 of them open heart surgeries
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"How important God is as our foundation! And we are blessed beyond measure by having Madeline in our lives."
~ Madeline’s Mommy
#zipperstrong
Claire
Newborn
Super. Happy baby.
Double Outlet Right Ventricle with sub-pulmonary VSD
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"I didn’t know she had anything wrong until she was 11 hours old. When the neonatologist told us, my first thoughts were 'Please God, this can’t be real'. It still feels unreal to me. ”
~ Claire's Mommy
#zipperstrong
