Happy Mothers Day!

Just in time for Mother’s Day, Tiah, the mom of a heart transplant recipient reflects on the perspective her son has provided her family:

"Being a caregiver to someone with a heart transplant is difficult, but I feel like it gives you purpose in life. It keeps you humble, grateful, and truly thankful. Being a caregiver to someone who’s received a new heart changes the lives of everyone involved. As a family, you learn to eat better, laugh more, and also to not take each day for granted." 

Deron’s heart journey: Deron has been on a long road, which we’re still traveling on. At birth, he was diagnosed with L-transposition of the great arteries. Deron endured three heart surgeries by the time he was just 3 years old. At the age of 8, he suffered a stroke which left his left side (arm and leg) severely diminished. When Deron was 15 years old, he was admitted to Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse, NY. To our dismay, he was in heart failure. He was put on an IV drip, which would keep his heart from failing. After 3 weeks of this, he was transported to Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City for further evaluation. The Heart Doctors at CHONY took Deron because he needed to have a catheterization so they could see the damage. They determined that he should go onto the transplant list and he’d be at the top. Because of his small size and age, he was able to get an adult heart on July 9th, 2019. 

Support moms like Tiah by donating to our Family Campaign today!