A Monthly HopeKids Publication “God had used HopeKids to give us

North TX, Feb. 2015
A Monthly HopeKids Publication
A
ccording to the American Heart
Association, “nine babies out of
1,000 births will have some form of
congenital heart disorder, most of which are
mild.”
Griffin and his twin sister, Georgia, were
born at 29 weeks gestation with congenital
heart defects. Georgia’s defect was not an
immediate threat to her health but Griffin’s
is a daily battle and impacts his ability to eat,
breath, play, learn, and just be a kid.
Griffin’s family recently joined HopeKids
and have loved sharing new experiences
with Griffin including
the Ringling Bros. and
Barnum & Bailey Circus
as well as the NRH2O
water park.
“We were blessed to go to many
events prior to that awful day and
are so grateful for the memories we shared.”
Each month, generous event partners provide
10 to 15 unique activities for HopeKids families.
These events are offered at no cost to families
and are focused on the entire family to avoid
siblings being unintentionally overlooked.
Keifer Scott is a 5-year old heart warrior
who was born with hypoplastic right heart
syndrome.
“I spend so much time between hospitals and
my full time job that we miss so much
as a family,” said Brenda, Keifer’s mom.
“[HopeKids] allows me to take each child
to a separate event so we can spend
some one on one time together or take
them all for a rare family night out.”
“God had used
HopeKids to give us
the hope that we so
“When you have a sick desperately needed.”
child it impacts the
whole family,” Griffin’s mom, Ashley said.
“Griffin has three siblings and HopeKids
provides a happy, meaningful and joyful
family time.”
Approximately 15% of the 325 families
HopeKids North Texas serves have a child
with a congenital heart defect. Each month,
these families have access to an ongoing
calendar of events provided by the generous
donations from event partners and individual
donors.
Ethan was born with life threatening heart
defects. He had two open heart surgeries
before he was 4 months old.
“HopeKids provided activities that we
normally would not be able to enjoy due to
either cost or lack of awareness,” said Amy,
Ethan’s mom. “Having a surprise diagnosis
depleted our finances quickly. Not only are
we thankful for the opportunities, but also
the memories.”
For Ethan’s family, HopeKids provided a
far more meaningful experience than they
realized at the time. Ethan’s dad, Dillon
unexpectedly, passed away in October 2013.
Thanks to a generous donation, Keifer’s
family was able to see their favorite college
team TCU play football on thanksgiving night.
The family flew in from a 24 hour visit in St.
Louis and drove straight to Austin. They
watched the game and drove all the way back
home.
“I had to be at work 5 hours later,” Brenda
said. “I would do it all over again in a heartbeat
because of the unforgettable memories with
each of my children.”
For the Juma family, HopeKids provided a
much needed support network in the midst of
crisis. Samantha was born in January 2014 with
multiple complicated heart defects. The social
worker at Cook Children’s hospital referred
the family to HopeKids while Samantha fought
bravely for three months.
“Our family was devastated,” said Elizabeth,
Samantha’s mom. “A few days later, we signed
up for our first HopeKids event- a Texas Rangers
game. We did not know anything about
baseball, but we were smiling for the first time
since our baby had died. We felt hope, and in
that instance I knew that we were going to be
alright. God had used HopeKids to give us the
hope that we so desperately needed.”
Special Thanks to our
January Event Partners
Alamo Drafthouse
Cinemas
Artreach-Dallas Inc.
Dallas Children’s Theater
Kidville
Lone Star Brahmas
Texas Ballet Theater
Thunderbird Roller Rink
USA Martial Arts
Winter Jam Texas
• HopeKids families: Don’t
forget to check the website
for details about dates and
times for all these events
and many more.
Join our Community!
Facebook HopeKidsNorthTexas
Twitter - HopeKidsNTX
YouTube - HopeKidsInc
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North TX, Feb. 2015
HopeKids Photo Gallery
HopeKids Heart Warrior Families (Left to Right): Cooper and Weber families at Dallas Summer Musicals’ “Wizard of Oz”; HopeKid
Ethan at the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park; Scott family at “Helping on Horseback”; Durham family at Mavs game; Cooper family
sporting their HopeKids t-shirts at an event; Moore family posing before an event; Scott family at TCU vs. UT game.
HopeKids – Up Close & Personal – Meet Griffin!
P.O. Box 794794
Dallas, TX 75379
(469) 503-1530
heather@HopeKids.org
www.HopeKids.org
HopeKids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization.
Griffin was born with pulmonary atresia requiring open
heart surgery at just 4 pounds. His heart was the size of an
acorn. He is a warrior who doesn’t let his heart defect stop
him from living his life the best he can. He is an amazing
little guy with a heart full of joy. He works so hard and
loves life. “We are so grateful for HopeKids,” Griffin’s
mom, Ashley said.
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