On June 3, 2021, my husband Justin and I welcomed our daughter Louisa into this world. Louisa was born with a complex congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. On Louisa's 7th day of life, she underwent open heart surgery. Shortly after surgery Louisa suffered two cardiac arrests that put her on life support. On day 5 of life saving support, Louisa brought the fight and was taken off support. We lived by Louisa's side for 57 days and were supported by family and friends. On day 57, Louisa, Mom, and Dad walked to the exit together as a family. Louisa’s fight was not over! She underwent two more open heart surgeries. One at 7 months of age and one at 13 months of age. Her amazing team at Children’s Hospital Colorado and her surgeon Dr. Jim Jaggers were able to repair her heart, allowing for her left side to function on its own.
Louisa is a miracle that we do not take for granted. We owe her life to her surgery team, her cardiology team, her care team (physical therapy, occupational therapy, feeding therapy, speech therapy), those who volunteered their time and efforts to make our stay at Children's Colorado comfortable and of course our family and friends that have stood by our side every step of the way. We really understand the meaning of "it takes a village"!
Louisa is currently thriving in life. She is a sweet 3-year-old girl who loves pre-school, dancing, painting and meeting new people. We cannot wait to see where life takes her!
Our family is grateful for the opportunity to give back to Children’s Colorado’s Heart Institute and we invite you to consider joining us to create the Super Lou Behr Padilla Endowed Fund which will support the Heart Institute in perpetuity. And we are excited to share that all funds raised by Super Lou’s 4th birthday (June 3, 2025) will be matched, up to $25,000, allowing your impact to go twice as far.
Children’s Colorado’s Heart Institute is nationally ranked for delivering the highest quality and most innovative care to patients with congenital and childhood heart disease. And, when families like ours come to the Heart Institute, they benefit from collaborative, multidisciplinary care delivered by world-renowned specialists like Dr. Jim Jaggers.
Children’s Colorado envisions a future in which children with heart conditions can thrive into adulthood with good quality of life, never questioning their survival or the outcomes related to treatments. With your support, Children’s Colorado’s groundbreaking research and world-class clinical programs will continue to grow and transform care for patients and families around the world, all in the name of Super Lou.
We are so grateful to the Heart Institute for all that they’ve done to support our family and we are so grateful to you for considering giving to the Super Lou Behr Padilla Endowed Fund. Brighter futures are within reach because of support like yours!
With heartfelt gratitude,
Super Lou, Katie & Justin
