Violet’s Heart Journey

Hi, my name is Mackenzie and I’m fundraising for my daughter Violet.

At 22 weeks pregnant, I was referred to a fetal cardiologist where they discovered that my daughter has a congenital heart defect (CHD) called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS).

HLHS is a CHD in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped. In a normal heart the heart's left side has the job of pumping oxygenated blood into the aorta, the large artery that carries blood to the body. In a child with HLHS: The mitral valve, which separates the two left chambers of the heart, is too small or completely closed, the left ventricle (the lower, pumping chamber) is very small, and the aortic valve, which separates the left ventricle and the aorta, is too small or completely closed.

In order to treat HLHS, Violet will have to go through multiple open heart surgeries for reconstructive repair, the first starting a week after she was born.

Violet was born on June 13, 2023 and has had 4 open heart surgeries and 3 stints placed in her heart. She has been at the hospital her entire life and my fiancé and I were told we might not be able to bring her home until some time next year.

***UPDATE*** We were told that Violet will need a heart transplant after she was taken in the cath lab to see if they could provide any intervention to help with the amount of respiratory support she’s on. We weren’t ready for this information, and it looks like we wont be able to take her home until after she receives a transplant.

I am fundraising for Violet to help with the cost of gas, parking, and a little extra help with home life/bills. We live 30-40 minutes away from the hospital and we have to pay for parking everyday. I’ve been battling with my job to be able to be there for Violet through her major surgeries and necessary courses of action to take her home. It’s been a struggle to want to be there for my daughter and not have the support I need from work. Every little bit helps so we can go see our baby and still be able to support what we can at home to keep a roof over our heads.

If you’ve gotten this far, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read Violet’s story and the journey to bringing her home. We appreciate all of the love and support!!