Natalie's New Heart

Hi everyone. This is my niece Natalie Jane Labelle. She is a beautiful, animal loving, spunky 15 year old who has been through more in her life than most of us can imagine. She was recently approved by Mayo clinic to receive the amazing gift of a new heart. We are trying to raise money to help her family through this difficult journey.

Natalie was diagnosed with HOCM (Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy) before her 1st birthday. She underwent 3 open heart surgeries for valve replacements before her 2nd birthday. The following years involved a number of hospital stays and too many images to count.

In March 2020 (yes right before the pandemic hit hard) they found that she would once again need a new valve. This involved another open heart surgery with the knowledge that the valve would again hit its shelf life and the next steps were not clear.

Earlier this year Matt and Tabitha noticed a decline in her energy and were concerned what the next heart check up would bring. Their fears were confirmed and they started on the journey of finding a new heart for Natalie.

Aside from medical expenses, with a transplant Mayo suggests patients stay in the area for at least 3 months because of frequent follow up care. At this point the plan is for Tabitha to stay in Rochester with Natalie, while Matt will stay with the boys(Isaiah - 20, Jeremiah - 17, and Nathan - 13) at their home in Montrose. Because Isaiah and Natalie both require wheelchairs and will be living separate for so long, the family will need an additional handicap van. This is a necessary item which will put a lot of strain on an already tight budget. Raising enough to take that pressure off the family would be tremendously helpful.

As you can imagine they need help and prayers. If you would like to read more about Natalie's journey, please visit her Caring Bridge.