Help Amanda raise money

Mother’s Day 2018

I spent my first Mother’s Day in the CICU with the boy who made me a mom. It was only two days after his life-changing open-heart surgery and snuggling him felt special for so many reasons.

Every little detail is still so clear. We spent hours in the ER waiting for a transport team just hoping the pilot would let me fly too. When we arrived in Cincinnati, it felt like a movie. Doctors and nurses surrounded us, questions flying, IVs being placed, papers handed over—and then, suddenly, nothing. The first moment of silence in 12 hours. I waited for Steven to arrive (with an expertly packed laundry basket of whatever clothes he could grab), and we sat there exhausted and unsure what came next.

Two (looooong) weeks later, Steven and I sat in a waiting room while Greyson was in surgery. Strangely, that part was never the scariest for me. Surgery was hope. It was an answer. And when our surgeon told us it couldn’t have gone better, I hugged him. It was the most well-deserved hug in the history of strangers hugging. On the list of men I love most, Dr. Morales ranks pretty high.

In the last 50 years, CHD research and technology have made huge leaps. Imagine what the next 50 could bring. My hope is to spread awareness, raise money, and share my joy. 1 in 100 families has a story like ours. If sharing helps just one family feel less alone, or gives one kid a reason to feel proud of their scar—it’s worth everything.

I hope you’ll consider a small donation to a cause that means everything to me—my literal world and the love of my life.

xxoo

I love you all.