In 2019, our daughter Ryann was born, and unbeknownst to us at the time, she was also born with a congenital heart defect. What should have been a joyful and exciting newborn stage quickly became a season filled with fear, uncertainty, and countless questions.

Between 5 and 12 weeks old, Ryann struggled to breathe and wasn’t thriving in the way we expected. We spent weeks searching for answers while she underwent multiple tests and evaluations, trying to understand why her tiny body was struggling so much. As parents, it was heartbreaking to watch and terrifying to live through.

Thankfully, we eventually found an incredible team of doctors who refused to stop searching for answers. During an upper airway scope, they discovered that Ryann had a double aortic arch — a rare congenital heart defect that had gone undetected during pregnancy ultrasounds and after birth.

Hearing the words “heart surgery” attached to your child is something no parent is ever prepared for. While Ryann’s cardiothoracic surgeons reassured us that this was one of the more routine surgeries they perform, it still came with immense fear, heartache, and emotional exhaustion for our family. Thankfully, Ryann’s surgery went beautifully, and today we are beyond grateful for the outcome.

Now, Ryann is almost 7 years old and thriving. She is a beautiful, energetic little girl who plays sports, runs around with her friends, and lives life fully — with a heart and body functioning exactly as they should. Watching her grow has been one of the greatest gifts after such a difficult beginning.

This year, our family is walking in the Chicago Heart Walk to honor Ryann’s journey and to support the many families who are currently facing similar — or even more difficult — battles with congenital heart defects. We walk for the parents sitting in hospital rooms waiting for answers. We walk for the children still fighting. We walk in memory of the lives lost too soon. And we walk to help support the doctors, surgeons, researchers, and medical teams who continue to advance care and research for children born with heart defects.

If you feel led to support our fundraiser, we would be so grateful. Every donation helps provide hope, research, support, and care for families navigating congenital heart disease.

And if you would like to join our team and walk with us on June 6th in Chicago, we would absolutely love to have you there as we celebrate Ryann and support this incredibly important cause.

Thank you so much for your love and support.