Hi Friends! Thank you for taking the time to check out my page!
I'm so honored to be riding in memory of our heart warrior Everly Snowden. Everly was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and underwent three open heart surgeries all before the age of four. I was blessed to meet Everly and her family when she was admitted for her Fontan surgery, where she made an impression on me that I carry with me to this day. She was funny, loving, and adventurous. I remember taking Everly and her 20 medication pumps out to the dog park because she couldn't sit still in her room. I was also so touched by the Snowden family, their strength, love, patience, and care not only for Everly but for every person that came into her room. They made you feel seen and loved, even in what I'm sure was some of the hardest moments of their lives.
After Everly's Fontan surgery, she endured many ups and downs- emergent chest tube placements, intubations, ct scans, and even CHCO's first Fontan reversal via cath procedure. Through it all she fought bravely, and her family was by her side every step of the way. Ultimately her body rejected the Fontan flow and she ended up on ECMO before passing away in the arms of both her parents on July 2, 2024.
I'll wrap this up by a little snippet about Everly from her parents: "From the very beginning, Everly was sweet, spicey and so very strong. She fought hard and defied the odds time after time. Despite her traumatic medical journey, Everly had a beautiful life and had so much normalcy. If you were to meet her in life, you’d likely not realize that she had half of a heart. She was very smart, social, and her language skills were far above her age. She loved to travel/explore, read, sing, dance, paint, cook, and arts/crafts. She adored her older brother Cooper that equally adored her. She loved playing outside in the yard, digging in the dirt, and jumping on what she called the trampole’. She also loved all animals, especially small creatures. When you asked Everly why she was so special, she would tell you ‘that’s how God made her’. God surely used her short life for His glory and that has continued after her passing. Like all of our heart warriors, we are pretty sure that Everly was made so very extra special."
Thank you for your generous support of all our little warriors, who are making the world a better place to be one story at a time!
