(Posted December 5, 2020)

Chase is a 9-year-old little boy. He was diagnosed with a CHD when he was a few days old. He has Truncus Arteriosus and VSD and has had four open-heart surgeries. Despite all the hardships he battles daily, he is a smart, loving, caring little boy who can light up a room. He has some learning disabilities, but even so, he loves school and loves to meet new people. He was diagnosed with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome when he was a few weeks old and has had to go to therapy for speech and fine motor skills for years. Chase started preschool at 3 1/2 years old and is now in a special day class and tries very hard.

Recently in July 2020 he was diagnosed with endocarditis (an infection caused by inflammation in the heart’s inner lining) and had to stay in the hospital for 75 days. Within that time, he was treated for his infection and had his valve replacement. We are home but he is still very sick, recovering from his infection. He has been on lots of medication, 3x daily, weekly weigh-ins, blood draws along with weekly and biweekly doctor appointments. Despite everything he has gone through and continues to go through he is a fighter and we are very proud of him.