congenital heart defect

Providing grief recovery is the very sweet cherry-on-top of the services OAW offers. OAW touches a very niche group of families who are experiencing things that sometimes make us feel so isolated from our peers and the rest of the world. OAW has been part of my life since 2020 and has offered ongoing support…

Jacob taught us so much during his eight months with us. We will always cherish the memories we have of him and never let his memory fade. Reid will always know how strong and brave his big brother was. Our family has grown closer through the pain of losing Jacob, and it has made us…

Jewels was the purest soul I have ever known. Despite everything she endured, she was a light. Her smile felt like a gift, and she had the kind of beautiful spirit that made you feel like you’d been in the presence of angels. She was equal parts sassy, joyful, and full of love. I miss…

We had been told that we might never hear a cry or see any movement from our son. But Jack continued to defy the odds. Before they placed his breathing tube, he cried. He came into this world ready to fight. We knew the chances of survival were slim, but all we were asking for…

We worked hard to become heart defect experts—something we never imagined we would need to do. We had barely heard of congenital heart defects before this, yet they are the most common birth defect, affecting about 1% of the population. At first, we were terrified, but over time we learned to accept this new reality.

OAW has been instrumental in keeping Genesis Makenna’s memory alive, giving me a place to heal and a way to give back to families like mine. Being directly involved in this work — the same work that meant so much to me during my darkest moments — has brought healing and meaning I never expected.

If I could tell another family anything, it would be this: document every single moment. One day, you’ll be so thankful you did. Our memories fade, but photos keep them alive. Some of the images I have from Poppy’s birth show me moments I’d forgotten. They remind me that she was here, she was real,…

There are hundreds of people who followed Ellie’s journey from afar and found inspiration in her story. I had the honor of witnessing her life up close for nearly a decade. Her impact runs deeper than inspiration—she and her family helped shape how we support every family we serve.

We got Josie when she was 9 months old, placed with us through medical foster care. We knew she had Marshall-Smith Syndrome, but we had no idea the journey the Lord was about to take us on.

Testing after she was born revealed that Aurora had a gap between her valve and heart, and that she had Trisomy 18.