Hope's Story

Images Captured by Erika Blunt Photography
www.erikablunt.com

Tiny light Hope may be small but she has proven that she has the strength of a giant. Her fight is so fierce she continues to inspire her family daily.

Hope was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome – a rare condition in which the the entire left side of her heart is missing. She spent the first seven weeks of her life in the hospital and has undergone one major heart surgery. Hope will require two more heart surgeries: one at four to six months of age and the other at two to three years of age. After these surgeries, she will still require a heart transplant by the time she is a young adult. Today, Hope is currently awaiting her second surgery and is recovering steadily from a paralyzed vocal cord as a result of intubations.

For Hope’s parents, the most amazing part of this journey has been the support they have received from “family, friends and total strangers...It overwhelms you to see how many people are standing with you.” Their hope for their Tiny Light is that she grows to be a beautiful woman who will do incredible things with her life and share her story with others. Through perseverance and determination, they will walk with her every step of the way. As they say, “We have a Hope and it’s worth fighting for.”

Story by Stephanie Bond