I am riding in the Courage Classic in honor of two of my favorite cardiac warriors - Dulce and Ellery. Here is a little bit about them from their families:
"Dulce was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. She underwent her three surgeries and had a heart transplant in September of 2025. Dulce Magaly passed away on the 29th of May. She will always be remembered for her incredible bravery and strength, her spunk and her beautiful essence. She will forever be loved and missed."
"Ellery has spent 18 months inpatient at Children’s Hospital Colorado and has spent most of that time in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. She has tetralogy of fallot, pulmonary atresia, and MAPCAs. She has undergone 3 open heart surgeries and 4 heart catheter procedures. She has had two instances of respiratory + cardiac arrest, both instances required CPR, and she spent a few days on ECMO. She has also had a G-tube surgery, surgery to repair an umbilical hernia, and a tracheotomy. With everything we’ve witnessed over the course of 18 months, I can confidently say that the staff in the heart institute is second to none. They fight for each of their patients until there’s nothing left they can do. With the help of your donation, perhaps someday they, and our children, wouldn’t have to fight quite so hard. Thank you for taking the time to read some of our sweet Ellery’s story, and for considering supporting her and children like her. They say she is the 1 out of 100 who have congenital heart disease, she and the other children and babies here in the heart institute. However, we’ve also learned that if you’re 1 in 100, or maybe you’re feeling lost and more like 1 in a billion, that you’re never alone. Each of us have a Creator that promises to never leave us or forsake us. Not in an operating room or waiting outside of one. Not when your child is getting yet another needle poke after already getting countless. We have a God who knows pain, indeed He took the form of a man, lived years on this earth, and was ultimately beaten and crucified on a cross for your sins and mine. So that through faith in Him as our one and only Savior, each of us would have access to the gates of heaven when our time comes. Ellery’s time will likely come before her dad and I. But yet, we have hope. There is no god who can offer a hope that is greater than the hope we have in Jesus Christ."
As an occupational therapist in the Heart Institute at Children's Hospital Colorado, I have the privilege of caring for some of the strongest children and families I have ever met. Every day, I help children learn to feed, play, develop, and participate in the activities that make childhood meaningful, even while facing complex medical journeys.
Many of our cardiac families spend weeks or months living in the hospital while awaiting surgeries, recovery, or a lifesaving transplant. During that time, donations help provide developmental toys, family support programs, special events, and opportunities for children to simply be kids.
This year, my goal is to raise $500 in memory of Dulce and in honor of Ellery and all the cardiac warriors who inspire me every day. Every dollar makes a difference for the children and families we serve.
Thank you for considering a donation and for helping us create moments of joy, comfort, and normalcy during some of the most challenging times in these families' lives.
❤ For Dulce. For Ellery. For every cardiac warrior. ♀
