I want to express my heartfelt thanks for taking a moment to visit my fundraising page.
Our Story
On March 27, 2023, our son, Amias, was born seemingly healthy, and we never imagined that our world would change just one day later. On March 28, we received the devastating and unexpected news that he had been born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect that would eventually require open-heart surgery. Suddenly, the future we had imagined for our baby boy was filled with uncertainty. We were told that he would need regular cardiology appointments and that, at some point, his heart would tell us when it was time for surgery. We were cleared to take him home after the usual hospital stay, and while we were happy to finally have our baby in our arms, we also left with a load of anxiety and fear for the future.
I stayed home from work to care for Amias, taking him to regular cardiology appointments where his oxygen levels and heart function were closely monitored. He was started on medication, and we did our best to navigate this new reality, hoping we would have more time before surgery became necessary. Then came May 15, 2023. What I thought would be another routine checkup became one of our hardest days yet.
For the first time, I attended his appointment alone. Everything began as it always had, until the nurse checked his oxygen levels and noticed they were dangerously low. The doctor came in and explained that Amias was experiencing a tet spell, a sudden episode associated with Tetralogy of Fallot that can cause oxygen levels to drop significantly. We tried to calm him, but it quickly became clear that this was an emergency. We were instructed to go straight to the emergency room next door so he could receive treatment and be transported to a children's hospital for urgent heart surgery. I was overwhelmed with fear, trying to process what was happening while doing everything I could to stay strong for him.
At the emergency room, nurses immediately began treating Amias and arranged ambulance transport to Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital in Houston. Everything seemed to happen in a blur. During the ambulance ride, he had to lie on the stretcher while I rode separately in the front. All I wanted was to hold him in my arms and calm him.
When we arrived at the hospital, our family began gathering to support us. That night was the hardest nights of our lives. Amias was surrounded by machines, and the medical team worked tirelessly to stabilize his oxygen levels. He cried for most of the night, and as his condition became more serious, he eventually had to be intubated. Watching our baby go through that was absolutely heartbreaking. Not long after this around 4 or 5 a.m., pediatric cardiac surgeon Dr. Jorge Salazar came to speak with us about what would happen next. He explained the surgery, what we could expect, and the risks involved. By that point, we were exhausted, scared, and struggling to wrap our minds around the fact that our 7 week old baby needed open-heart surgery immediately. We gave our consent and placed our son's life in the hands of the person who would be operating on his tiny heart.
As Amias went into surgery, we were told we would receive updates by phone. We were given a room at the Ronald McDonald House, where we waited. Our family helped us through that time, bringing us food, clothes, and comfort when we needed it most. We held on to hope and prayed for our little boy. When the surgery was finally over, we were called to meet with Dr. Salazar, who told us that the surgery had been successful. The relief was indescribable. I remember wanting to give him the biggest hug and thank him in a way that could somehow express what his work meant to our family. There are simply no words to describe the gratitude you feel toward the person who has helped save your child's life. We will forever be grateful to Dr. Salazar and the entire medical team who cared for Amias and gave him a chance at life.
Amias spent seven more days in the hospital recovering, including time in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, where doctors and nurses closely monitored his heart, vital signs, and incision. Each day brought new milestones and another reason to feel hopeful. Eventually, we were able to bring our baby boy home and begin the next chapter of his journey. We were finally able to take a breath, but we also knew that his heart journey was far from over.
Today, Amias is three years old and thriving. He runs, plays, laughs, and fills our lives with more joy and personality than we could have ever imagined during those frightening days in the hospital. He is kind, witty, incredibly smart, and full of energy. When I look at him, I am in awe of his strength. He endured so much in his first few months of life, yet he continues to approach the world with such happiness and curiosity. As his mom, I will always remember the fear of his diagnosis, the helplessness of watching him fight for his life, and the overwhelming relief of learning that his surgery was successful. Those memories will always be part of our story, but they will never define all that Amias is.
Although his surgery repaired his heart, it was not a cure. The structure of his heart is still different from that of a typical heart, and he continues to see his cardiologist regularly to monitor his health and determine whether he may need additional intervention in the future. There is still uncertainty, and as his mom, I know that worry will always be a part of loving a child with a congenital heart defect. But alongside that worry is an immense amount of gratitude, hope, and pride in the little boy who has already taught me so much about resilience.
That is why our family participates in the Houston Congenital Heart Walk every year. We walk in honor of Amias, in celebration of how far he has come, and in recognition of every Heart Warrior and family facing a similar journey. We walk for the babies who have not yet received a diagnosis, for the families sitting in hospital waiting rooms praying for good news, and for the children and adults who continue to live with congenital heart defects long after surgery.
We raise funds for research because every child deserves the chance to grow up, play freely, chase their dreams, and live a long, healthy life. We want researchers to find more answers about why these defects happen, develop better treatments, reduce complications, and one day bring us closer to a cure. Our hope is that future families will face less uncertainty and have even more reasons to feel hopeful.
Amias is our reason for walking, our greatest inspiration, and a daily reminder of just how strong a little heart can be. We are endlessly proud of him, grateful for the medical team that helped give him this chance, and hopeful for all that the future holds. Every step we take and every dollar we raise is for him and for every Heart Warrior whose story is still being written.
