Congenital heart defects are the most commonly occurring birth defect, affecting approximately 1 in 110 babies born, or a child born every 15 minutes. 1 in 4 will have a critical CHD that will require heart surgery or other interventions within the first year of their life. Congenital heart defects are the leading cause of birth-defect related mortality.

Gemma was diagnosed in utero at 20 weeks with a Hypoplastic right ventricle/Double inlet left ventricle. Babies with DILV have an intact left ventricle (the pumping chamber of the heart that pumps blood to the body) and a small right ventricle (the pumping chamber that pumps blood to the lungs). Both atria supply blood to the left ventricle, and as a result oxygen-rich blood and oxygen-poor blood are combined. This mixture of blood flows to the baby's lungs and body.

Gemma was born on August 18, 2019 and underwent her first intervention at 5 weeks old, a catheterization to insert a stent in her PDA. At nine months old Gemma had her first surgery, the Glenn procedure, and then another surgery one month later to remove a pseudo aneurysm. It’s been 14 months since Gemmas last procedure and she’s a thriving 2 year old! She'll undergo the Fontan surgery within the next year or so. These surgeries don't cure her CHD, but they allow her to survive with half a heart.

I'm running the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon for The Children's Heart Foundation and fundraising in support of their mission: to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital heart defects (CHDs) by funding the most promising research.