On December 18, 2012 our son, Graeme, was born. We had an emergency delivery after the doctor detected his heart rate in the 70s at my 34 week appointment. He was diagnosed with Double Outlet Right Ventricle, Malposed Great Vessels, VSD, Coarctation of the Aorta, Straddling Mitral Valve, Aortic Valve Hypoplasia, and Complete Heart Block. He was rushed to the Texas Medical Center where he underwent a coarctation repair, a pacemaker was placed, and a Pulmonary Artery band was placed. With 2 surgeries under his belt our little trooper was released from the hospital after 44 days. After living a happy and for the most part normal life,
we lost our sweet angel on May 3, 2015 at 2 1/2 years old. We were devastated, and still are in complete shock, as we are left to try to find our new normal and purpose.
We have decided to put our energy into raising awareness and funds for Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) research. We knew nothing about heart defects before Graeme and were shocked to learn:
• Congenital heart defects are America’s and every country’s #1 birth defect. Nearly one of every 100 babies is born with a CHD.
• Congenital heart defects are the #1 cause of birth defect related deaths.
• Congenital heart defects are the leading cause of all infant deaths in the United States.
• Each year approximately 40,000 babies are born in the United States with a congenital heart defect. Thousands of them will not reach their first birthday and thousands more die before they reach adulthood.
• Each year over 1,000,000 babies are born worldwide with a congenital heart defect. 100,000 of them will not live to see their first birthday and thousands more die before they reach adulthood.
The Children's Heart Foundation (CHF) has contributed an astounding $8.4 million toward revolutionary congenital heart defect research studies. As the country's leading organization solely committed to CHD research funding, CHF dedicates itself to bringing health, hope and happiness to children and families impacted by a CHD. We want to continue to be a part of that fundraising in Graeme's honor.
With some wonderful friends we came up with the idea of a family fun run. We know everyone loves a good fun run, especially one that's close to home and brings awareness and funds to such a great cause. This will be our second year and the date is set for February 25, 2017 (February is heart awareness month). We were able to raise over $40,000 for The Children’s Heart Foundation in 2016.
Our second Graeme's Run will be full of fun activities for everyone! We will start with a 5K and a 1 mile family walk in Old Katy starting and ending at No Label Brewery. Following the run/walk we will have:
-No Label serving free beer
-Food trucks (6)
-Righteous Cause Band
-All Around Bounce will have several bounce houses set up
-Face Painting
-Balloon Animals and more!
**100% of funds raised will go to The Children's Heart Foundation
We would love for you to be a part of this great event.
Thank you for reading our story and helping us honor our precious son.
The McDaniel Family (Robby, Stephanie and Mason)
To find out more visit: www.graemessuperheroes.org
Facebook: Graeme’s Superheroes
