Family photo

How Gratitude Helped AJ’s Family Navigate Tough Times

Gratitude is often recommended as a practice to help people cope with everyday stress, and we pay special attention to it during the holiday season. But for heart warrior AJ’s family, gratitude became something more on the day he was…

cardiac patient in hat

Emmanuel Brings a Fighting Spirit to a Tough Battle

Fierce persistence and a nagging mother’s intuition that something wasn’t right led newborn Emmanuel to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Heart Center on Christmas morning two years ago. His mom, Brielle—a veterinarian—noticed that he looked and sounded different from her…

cardiac patient and sibling

Every Little Milestone Counts … Big!

Ollie spent his first Halloween at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Heart Center in the CICU, just 7 days post-op from his second open heart surgery. Mom Stephanie remembers that they had to get special permission to allow Ollie’s big brother,…

cardiac patient and mother

Heart Warrior Mom Turns Fear into Connection and Advocacy

Although she had a few months and the support of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Cardiology to prepare, Karlee said handing her newborn over to strangers with the hope that they could save his life presented a whole new level of…

cardiac patient fishing

The Heart of a Fisherman Never Gives Up

When Children’s Cardiology said that 10-year-old Grayson would need a pacemaker, one of his parents’ most pressing concerns was whether he’d still be able to go fishing. Grayson loves playing baseball and football, showing livestock, camping and playing with his…

Pediatric Cardiology Patient

A Heart Warrior Mom’s Message Reminds Others to Stay Hopeful

Taylor and Kris started their family young, and they didn’t know much about congenital heart defects in children. But when their first child, Kholson, was diagnosed with serious Congenital Heart Diseases before he was born, they threw themselves into learning…

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