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30 Days of Thanks ~ Bereavement Team
During the month of November, Help-A-Heart put the spotlight on various ways people support and donate to our organization throughout the year. Obviously, attending one of our annual fundraisers–the Celebration of Life Dinner & Silent Auction in June & the Superhero Heart Run in October–are two big ways you can further our cause! We also […]
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January Heart Hero – Gabe Graber
We found out on September 11, 2004, that our unborn child had a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome. Basically, this means that Gabe’s right ventricle never fully developed, so he only has 1 pumping chamber in his heart. This defect is corrected with a series of 3 open heart surgeries—one at birth, […]
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Happy 2018!
Happy 2018 from Help-A-Heart! A few of our heart heroes, Carver, Kiran, Kellan & Addison would like to wish you a happy new year! We are so blessed by a wonderful 2017 & can’t wait to see what the new year brings! To our amazing & steadfast supporters who make it possible to do what we […]
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Merry Christmas from Help-A-Heart ~ Our Year in Review
As we reflect back 2017, we are truly blessed by the support of all of our heart families & their loved ones. We are challenged daily to further our mission of ‘sharing love by providing emotional and financial support to Iowa families affected by congenital heart disease (CHD)’. Here’s a few highlights from 2017! 1. 71 Families received a […]
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October Heart Hero – Aja Audetat
Our world changed forever March 26, 2015 when we first heard the words “Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.” During our 20-week anatomy scan we learned we were having a girl and that she would be born with a congenital heart defect. This is when Help-A-Heart entered our lives and helped in more ways than they’ll ever […]
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Superhero Heart Run ~ Sunday, October 22, 2017 at 2 pm ~ Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines
Get ready, Iowa Superheroes! Help-A-Heart and Heart Heroes, Inc. have joined forces to present the 4th Annual Superhero Heart Run! On Sunday, October 22, 2017, Des Moines will be suiting up in superhero gear and capes to “Save the Day for Congenital Heart Defects”! Proceeds raised from this 5k/2k fun-run event will be utilized to […]
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Professionals for Charity (P4C) Golf Outing ~ August 2017
We were honored and blessed to be a part of the Professionals for Charity (P4C) Annual Golf Outing on August 18th, 2017 at TCI Golf Course in Polk City. P4C is a local 501(c)(3) charitable organization in Des Moines that raises money and awareness for children’s charitable organizations in Iowa. Each summer their annual golf event […]
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September Heart Hero – Carver Meiners
Carver was diagnosed with Transposition of the Great arteries during his 20-week ultrasound. We were quickly thrown into the “heart world” and realized what all this would mean for our son and family. Carver was born on June 26, 2014, and had an exploratory cath on June 27 to prepare him for his open-heart surgery. […]
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June Heart Hero – Kiran Aaron Valji
When I was 22 weeks pregnant, during a follow-up ultrasound, I got the news no expecting parent ever expects to hear: “There is something wrong with your baby’s heart.” The fear and grief of that moment overwhelmed me. I am so thankful his dad and I chose to not let the fear control us; we […]
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Heart Hero- Grace Diggins
Grace was born on May 5, 2008 with a severe case of Ebstein’s Anomaly and pulmonary atresia. Ebstein’s is a malformation of the tricuspid valve, and pulmonary atresia meant she was missing her pulmonary valve. She had her first open heart surgery at 10 days old, it consisted of an atrial septectomy, atrial free wall […]
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