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Understanding HLHS: The Battle for Half a Heart
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) is a rare, severe congenital heart defect where the left side of a baby's heart is severely underdeveloped. Essentially, the heart cannot pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. Without immediate medical intervention, HLHS is fatal.
Fast Facts About HLHS
Fighting with Half a Heart:
In babies with HLHS, the mitral valve, left ventricle, and aorta fail to develop properly, forcing the right side of the heart to do double the work just to keep the baby alive.
Three Planned Open-Heart Surgeries:
There is no cure for HLHS. Instead, babies must undergo a grueling series of three staged open-heart surgeries within their first few years of life (the Norwood, Glenn, and Fontan procedures) just to reconstruct their circulatory system.
The First Surgery Happens in Days:
The very first open-heart surgery typically takes place within the first few days of life, turning what should be a celebratory birth into an immediate crisis.
Extensive Hospital Stays:
HLHS families routinely spend weeks or months at a time in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), facing high-stakes monitoring, feeding challenges, and unexpected complications between surgeries.
An Overwhelming Financial & Emotional Burden:
The cost of multiple open-heart surgeries, continuous specialized care, and weeks away from work puts a staggering, often paralyzing financial strain on parents.
Why We Step In
HLHS families live in a state of constant, high-stakes medical stress. Parents shouldn't have to choose between paying rent or sitting by their baby's hospital bedside. We step in to absorb the financial shock of medical bills and daily expenses, so these brave families can focus entirely on their child's fight.
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