On December 18, 2012, after a very healthy pregnancy, our son, Graeme, was born. We had an emergency delivery after the doctor detected his heart rate in the 70s at my 34 week appointment. He was diagnosed with Double Outlet Right Ventricle, Malposed Great Vessels, VSD, Coarctation of the Aorta, Straddling Mitral Valve, Aortic Valve Hypoplasia, and Complete Heart Block. He was rushed to the Texas Medical Center where he underwent a coarctation repair, a pacemaker was placed, and a pulmonary artery band was placed. With 2 surgeries under his belt, our little trooper was released from the hospital after 44 days. After living a happy and for the most part normal life, we lost our sweet angel on May 3, 2015 at 2 1/2 years old. We were devastated and still are in complete shock, as we are left to try to find our new normal and purpose.
We have decided to put our energy into raising awareness and funds for Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) research. We knew nothing about heart defects before Graeme and were saddened to learn:
- Congenital heart defects are America’s and every country’s #1 birth defect. Nearly one of every 100 babies are born with a CHD
- Congenital heart defects are the leading cause of all infant deaths in the United States
- Each year approximately 40,000 babies are born in the United States with a congenital heart defect
- Thousands of children born with CHDs will not reach their first birthday, and thousands more will die before they are adults
We began fundraising for congenital heart defect (CHD) research since the moment Graeme was born in 2012, and we first learned about CHDs. Nine years later, we started our own non-profit in his name, The Graeme McDaniel Foundation.
OUR MISSION IS TO FUND CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT (CHD) RESEARCH AND SUPPORT HEART FAMILIES.
While funding research is our primary goal, we look forward to supporting heart families as they travel for care. We will continue to grow our existing relationships with local heart centers. We will be learning of these centers’ planned research projects and hearing how additional support from our Foundation can progress their hard work.
With some wonderful friends, we came up with the idea of a family fun run. We know everyone loves a good fun run, especially one that’s close to home and brings awareness and funds to such a great cause. This will be our 7th year, and the date is set for February 26, 2022 (February is heart awareness month). In 2020, we had over 1,600 people in attendance and raised over $130,000 for CHD research. Last year, 2021, was a challenge with COVID and a freeze the week before our scheduled event, but that didn’t stop our community from helping us raise over $132,000! We are looking forward to what this year will bring. Our 7th Graeme’s Run will be full of fun activities for everyone! We will have a 5K run and a 1-mile family walk in Old Katy starting and ending at No Label Brewery. We would love for you to be a part of this great event.
Following the run/walk we will have:
-No Label serving free beer
-Free Food
-Live Music, Face Painting, Balloon Animals, and more!
Thank you for reading our story and helping us honor our precious son,
The McDaniel Family (Robby, Stephanie, Mason, and Juliet)