09/16/2025
Meet Arya! ✨Here is her story, as told by her mom:
“Arya is 8 yrs old and looking forward to planning a Bluey themed birthday party after having quite a year.
Arya was born with Truncus Arteriosis and an interrupted aortic arch. Her first open heart surgery was at three days old and she lived in the hospital for 27 days. Arya had a cardiac catheterization at 7 months old where they placed a stent to alleviate severe conduit stenosis and another at age 5, just three weeks after tragically and unexpectedly losing her father to lupus complications. At age 7, Arya had another open heart surgery to replace her conduit and receive a mechanical valve. Mom and Arya had to leave Arya’s three older siblings in Maryland and travel to Oak Lawn, Illinois for this surgery.
After 11 nights away from home, Arya was able to return to Maryland and finished out her 1st grade year through a homeschool program while she healed.
Although she’s had a successful recovery, she’s now on blood thinners for the rest of her life and has had to give up some of her favorite extracurricular activities such as Cheer (where she was a flyer) and softball. She’s just joined the Poms squad and is enjoying learning the choreographed dance routines that will be performed at the halftime shows. This is just one example of how Arya is adapting- Mom is continuing to find creative ways to keep her active and able to safely enjoy activities she loves. She just started second grade in person and we are back to spacing her cardiologist checkups 4-6 months and hoping she won’t need her next open heart surgery for 15 years.”
We are so happy that the Paul Magnus Foundation was able to help Arya and her family with a housing reimbursement grant this past year!
❤️
