Stacey A Couzzo

I was born with a congenital heart defect called Transposition of Great Vessels. When I was born, doctors told my parents that I would only live for a year at best. However, my parents refused to accept this prognosis and sought out other specialists to give me a better chance at life. This was in the 1970s, so there wasn't as much information or support available, and they had a hard time finding answers without the internet. Eventually, they found a cardiology team at Deborah Heart Hospital in New Jersey. When I was 3 years old, they performed an innovative procedure called the "mustard" on me. After the surgery, my cardiologist told my parents that my quality of life would be fair at best.

Despite this, I have lived a very healthy life. I had only one more procedure done, which was more of a tune-up. I also went on to have two healthy children, with minimal heart issues during my pregnancies. At the age of 41, I completed a triathlon, finishing almost last, but it felt like a miracle considering everything. Medicine has come a long way since the 1970s, but there is still progress to be made, not just in curing congenital heart defects, but also in developing preventive measures to avoid them altogether.

The Children's Heart Foundation was founded in 1996 and is the country's leading organization solely dedicated to funding congenital heart defect (CHD) research. 

Our mission is to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital heart defects by funding the most promising research.