We walk in honor of our son, Kaladin Alexander Lawrence (Kal). Kal showed us the true meaning of strength. From the beginning, we were told to expect an unsuccessful pregnancy based on Stacy’s test results. Kal showed us that he was a fighter from the start and decided that nothing would stop him. The doctor said he couldn’t make sense of it, other than to say that Kal is a little miracle baby. A miracle baby is exactly what he was. It wasn’t until halfway through the pregnancy that we learned of the other complications. Kal was born with HLHS (a congenital heart defect that basically means he only had half of a heart) and a rare genetic syndrome called Jacobsen Syndrome. He fought so hard every single day and overcame so many obstacles right from the start. We were told so many times that things weren’t looking good or to expect the worst, but Kal always liked to prove everyone wrong. He quickly developed a reputation for never acting as any of the doctors would expect.  It was often said that it was Kal’s world, and we’re just living in it.  He beat 3 open heart surgeries, a tracheostomy, an exploratory bowel surgery, a g-tube, and countless cath procedures. The most amazing thing of all about Kal is that through all of these hardships, he would still have a big smile on his face every day. 

Every 15 minutes in the United States, a baby is born with a congenital heart defect, making CHDs the most common birth defect in our country. The Congenital Heart Walk is dedicated to raising money to research ways to fight all kinds of CHDs, HLHS included. If not for this research, we would not have gotten 9 months with our sweet Kaladin. The farther we push, the more children we can help.

Please join us on this mission. By donating to our team and/or walking with us to spread awareness, you're contributing to research that can save and enhance the lives of everyone affected by CHDs, as well as their families. All support, no matter the size, makes a significant impact, and for that, we want to say a heartfelt thank you. Will you join us in making a real difference? Please consider supporting our team and/or walking with us.

Thank you for visiting our page and reading about Kal's story.