A Heart for Hiley

Hiley was born with a congenital heart defect called Atrioventricular Canal defect (AV canal defect).   She had her first open heart surgery when she was only 10 months old and a second open heart surgery when she was 4 years old.  The heart defect was too severe to repair for normal cardiac function but she has always miraculously thrived in spite of her physical handicapped.  Most everyone that has met her would not have imagined she was living with such a serious and life threatening heart defect.  She has always made it look so easy to manage. She is a 12 year old 7th grader now at Mooresville Middle School and unfortunately and un-expectantly her health has steadily declined, rather quickly, within the last year.   The only solution left for her now to stay healthy is to have a heart transplant. She is currently under the care of Sanger Clinic Pediatric Transplant and Cardiology group with CMC in Charlotte and is in the final processes of getting placed on the list for a new heart. Hiley has had to go through many painful medical procedures and stay on a lot of different medications, sometimes even needing to wear heart monitors for a couple weeks at a time. An emergency room visit has become her new “normal” and some days she has a hard time even having the energy to walk. She will feel better than she ever has once she gets a new heart and for the first time in her life she will feel what it is like to have a full functioning heart. It will still require a lifelong commitment from her for medical care and medications but she handles all of this with grace and a thankful attitude.  In spite of it all she continues to do well in school and always has a nice word to say or a sweet smile on her face.