Keanon’s Heart-aversary is March 25th!
March 25th marks the 2 year anniversary of Keanon’s Successful Open Heart Surgery.
Help us celebrate by donating to the Children’s Heart Research Guild.
- Simply write checks payable to: Children’s Heart Research Guild
- Print and fill out the Tax Deduction Form
- Send to: Keanon Dawson c/o Doug Wright P.O. Box 2070 Milton, WA 98354
Our efforts to raise money for the Children’s Heart Research Guild will run from 3/25 to 4/25.
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I was completely unprepared for the information they were giving me. I continued to question our son’s cardiologist, “What happens if we don’t opt for him to have open heart surgery?” The answer was the same as it had been every time I asked. “Your son will ultimately die of lung and heart failure.”
How could a little heart murmur found at birth, turn into open heart surgery? People have heart murmurs all the time and live a perfectly healthy life. After all, I thought I was there for good measure, for a 2nd opinion. I had no idea that what his cardiologist would tell me was that my son had a life threatening birth defect.
Keanon Dawson was diagnosed two weeks after he was born with a severe congenital heart defect called Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD); otherwise known as a “hole in the heart”. Keanon underwent open heart surgery in March of 2008 at Seattle Children’s Hospital. His heart has been repaired and he is a healthy and vibrant toddler. Keanon was given a second chance at life!
As curious and medically minded parents, we requested the video files of Keanon’s surgery. Months after his recovery and with some mental preparation, we watched each meticulous cut, stitch and movement of his surgeon. And with Keanon, lively in his bouncy seat next to us, we were ahh struck as we watched the surgeon hold our son’s tiny little heart in his hands. We watched the moment our son’s life was saved.
With the Keanon’s heart journey behind us, we have the capacity to support other children born with congenital heart defects. Our mission is to raise funds for the Children’s Heart Research Guild and do our part to raise awareness.
More often, VSD’s can be repaired using catheter procedures and devices. As research, tools and techniques advance, even larger VSD’s like Keanon’s, can be repaired without invasive open-heart surgery. Because heart repair procedures have advanced so quickly over the past few decades, doctors do not yet have solid outcomes for children who have had open-heart surgery, been on by-pass, or lived with patches for more than 20 years.
Awareness will lend more support for other parents with children living with congenital heart defects.
Awareness will encourage support for funding and research, so critical to saving and extending lives.
Read more about Keanon’s Heart Journey
