Alice's Army

My name is Dana Newton. I am fundraising for my beautiful friend Danielle Warren and her sweet new arrival that she and her family will be welcoming to the world in February. Here is her story:

Our daughter, Alice, was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome at our 20-week anatomy scan. This diagnosis brought anxiety and fear as we didn't know what it meant, and then even more fear when the doctor's started describing this heart defect. People with HLHS have a very small or non-existent left ventricle in the heart. This means her heart cannot pump blood throughout her body.

Alice will require three surgeries before the age of 4 in order to help her heart pump blood throughout her body. Her first surgery will be done within her first week of life, her next around 6 months of age, and her third surgery will take place around 3-4 years of life. While these surgeries can save her life, we won't be completely out of the woods. 50% of people with HLHS will require a heart transplant at some point in their life and the life expectancy is up in the air as it truly depends on the person and their heart.

While we still have moments of fear and anxiety, we've reached a point of peace knowing that she will be okay. She will be delivered at Duke University Hospital where the amazing Dr. Turek will complete the first surgery around day three of life. She will need to stay there for a minimum of thirty days to heal and learn how to eat. We will go back and forth from Statesville to Durham to check on Alice and to keep some normalcy in the lives of our other two children.

We appreciate any and all prayers for our family as we are navigating uncharted waters. We will take it one step at a time for our Alice ❤️