Parker Strong - Help Support The Rice Family
Matt and Kelly Rice have grown up together in Evergreen Park. They have been together since middle school and dreamed of one day getting married and starting a family of their own. On December 23rd, 2019 Kelly and Matt welcomed their beautiful daughter Parker Faye into the world. Parker was born with a number of rare congenital heart defects (heteroaxy right dominant arteriovenous, double outlet right ventricle, subaortic ventricular septal defect, smaller left ventricle, pulmonic stenosis, tetralogy of fallot, right aortic arch, anomalous left coronary artery from right pulmonary artery). Over the past 13 months, Parker has faced many challenges and complications regarding her diagnosis, but she has always had her parents by her side, never giving up hope. This strong little girl has been through six open heart surgeries in the last year. In December, Matt and Kelly were told that Parker would need a new heart, as her current surgical options had been exhausted. Parker was then transferred to Lurie Children’s Hospital in order to be put on the list for a heart transplant.
The first couple of weeks at Luries did not go according to plan. On January 11, 2021, Parker went for a routine cardiac catheterization to gather information for her transplant evaluation. Unfortunately, Parker coded during the procedure and CPR was performed for 25 minutes to bring her back. Over the next two days, Parker coded two more times but continued to fight like she always has, never giving up.
Without surgery, Parker's chances of survival and making it on the transplant list were very slim. On January 15th, 2021, the amazing surgeons at Lurie's Children Hospital performed a heroic 13 hour surgery on little Parker. Parker is slowly recovering, but her fight is far from over. Parker will still need a heart transplant. At this time, Parker is still not a good candidate for transplant due to her pulmonary artery being too small. Cardiologists would like to wait eight more weeks before potentially listing her for a transplant. Once listed, wait times for a heart are uncertain , but expected to be many months.
Parker and her parents will remain at Luries for the indefinite future, and Kelly and Matt will continue residing at the Ronald McDonald House. As you can imagine, Parker’s hospital stay and medical bills, along with Matt and Kelly’s time away from work, have put them in need of help to pay for these expenses. Kelly and Matt are two of the most loving, genuine and hardworking people we know. These are two parents who made it their life’s work to give back. Kelly has given the gift of education to countless youth as a teacher, while Matt protects the public as an Illinois State Trooper. Now we need to give back to them so they can continue giving all of their time, effort, and love into helping Parker heal.
Parker is the true definition of heart warrior! She is the most loving, smiley, strongest and happiest girl you will ever meet. She brightens up the room and not a moment goes by that she isn’t shaking her head telling you yes or no, dancing to her favorite troll songs, playing peek-a-boo, and holding on to her favorite toys. Parker thrives the most with her parents by her side. Their strength, love, and support is incredible.
On behalf of Matthew, Kelly and Parker this page was created by Parker's grandparents Denise and Ray Rice, Carol and Marty Masterson, family, and friends to try and lessen the burden they already face everyday. Many have asked how to help and this is the perfect way to give back to them. We all know they never asked for this, but this is a small way to show how much we all love this amazing family. So please consider making a donation to help them in this most difficult time.
Thank you for all your love and support. It has meant the world to them.
Parker Strong 