A Dash of Love Foundation

07/25/2026

I’ve been quiet as I’ve been sitting with news that feels like déjà vu. Last summer we learned Dashel had one of the most aggressively growing Sub Aortic Membranes they’d ever seen. We spent the next 6 months dreading the inevitable and we faced a 3rd open heart surgery last January. Our July echo has met us with what feels like a similar fate. “I suspect it’s growing back already.” Any appointment the word “surgery” is mentioned, you leave different than you came.

But there’s been a shift in my heart this time. A shift that is immensely different than last year. Do I still feel all of the same emotions? Absolutely. But alongside every moment of anger, sadness, and fear, walks faith, acceptance, and gratitude. Because I’ve finally learned I’m not meant to take this walk alone. Grace has been with me the whole time, and it’s in moments like these that I’m reminded of that. It wasn’t until this last surgery that I truly learned how to surrender. And I know that entering into another hard season, I’ll be met with the same test.

This quiet moment reminded me of all the Grace, faith, blessings, love, and purpose this life holds for me. A simple moment of adorableness I went to capture on a hard morning, and as I did, something deeply meaningful appeared in his shadow. A perfect heart, formed naturally by his little body, and the very Light that protects it.

Our Dashel Ray of sunshine. ☀️ Our Heart Warrior who constantly teaches us in ways I truly believe God sent him here to.

If you’re reading this through a hard Heart Mama season, know that it’s never too late to find your surrender. And when you do, I know that your heart will shift, too. It’s from this place that I write my Heart Mom book, and I can’t wait to share it with you❤️‍🩹

07/01/2026

In the last week we’ve received 25 requests (and counting) for A Dash of Love! We are overwhelmed (and blessed) with growth and we need your help! Every single dollar adds up and helps us send A Dash of Love, Courage, and Strength to Heart Families and their Warrior’s.

Donating directly:
The best way to donate to help us support shipping costs is through Venmo! Our link is in our bio. ‼️Always make sure to look for the blue charity verification mark on giving platforms and beware of scammers‼️ https://www.venmo.com/u/adashoflove

Other ways to support:
🐝 Purchase a Heart Mom necklace through Honeybee Gold Co.| Engraved Keepsake Jewelry Necklaces are fully customizable with name/engraving of choice. Link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4406026349/heart-warrior-mom-necklace-heart-mom-chd?ref=share_ios_native_control

🦁 Purchase a Warrior Lion for your Heart Warrior and their sibling(s) through Crafty Creations Made with Heart by Trisha link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4527885796/scar-buddy-personalized-stuffed-animal?ref=share_ios_native_control

A portion of proceeds from both benefit our organization!

Thank you for continuing to follow, pray, support, and give. We are so blessed with this community❤️‍🩹

06/29/2026

06/26/2026

A Dash of Love and Courage was sent to Pennsylvania today to honor Lennon as she braves her Glenn procedure. Please join us in prayer! We pray over the entire medical team to keep her safe. We pray over her heart that it says strong and triumphs this first procedure. We pray over her family as they navigate the hardest day - may peace and grace find their hearts in every moment.

There’s a lot of families here who have been through the Glenn with a child. Please leave a comment of encouragement or advice for the family!

06/24/2026

‘A Dash’ of cuddle & cuteness has officially been added to all of our packages!

Edit: We had so much love on these buddies we’ve officially started a new partnership with Crafty Creations Made with Heart by Trisha. Our Lion buddies are officially live on Etsy! Here is the link https://www.etsy.com/listing/4527885796/scar-buddy-personalized-stuffed-animal?ref=share_ios_native_control

Meet your new buddies!

🦁 Heart Warrior — created to remind children with special hearts just how brave, strong, and loved they are.

🦁 Warrior’s Keeper — created for the siblings who walk this journey too. The brothers and sisters whose love, patience, and support matter more than they know.

Because every Heart Warrior deserves a special friend by their side. And every sibling deserves to be celebrated for the important role they play along the way.

We are so excited to begin sharing these little buddies with Heart Warriors and Warrior’s Keepers everywhere. ❤️‍🩹

Created with heart by Crafty Creations.

Inspired by the little boy who started it all — our Heart Warrior, Dashel.

06/17/2026

It’s a humbling experience to be on the receiving end of generosity. We started this mission to support other families, but the truth is, sometimes we need support too.

Thank you to Wishes & More for blessing our family with this incredible playset in honor of Dash. It has been a dream come true for both Jett and Dash, and a gift that will bring joy for years to come.

Organizations like this remind us why our mission matters so deeply. Because every family deserves a little extra hope, encouragement, and love during difficult seasons. Sometimes the impact of a gift extends far beyond what anyone can see—and that’s exactly what makes it so powerful.

06/15/2026

A moment like this changes a mother forever. It defines how she walks through motherhood for the rest of her life.

The fear. The uncertainty. The helplessness. The strength she never knew she had.

But there is power in knowing that she is not alone. And in order to give that power, we need your help.

Over the years, our family has endured multiple open-heart surgeries, ICU stays, and countless moments where faith was all we had left to cling to. Through it all, I often wished someone could hand me a book written by a mom who truly understood.

That’s why I’m writing Heart Mom.

Heart Mom: A Testimony of Challenge, Triumph, and Unwavering Faith is being published through A Dash of Love to provide hope, encouragement, and companionship to mothers navigating pediatric medical trauma.

While written from a mother’s perspective, this book is also for the spouses, partners, family members, friends, and medical professionals walking alongside these families. My hope is that it not only encourages those living this journey, but also offers insight and perspective to those supporting them.

Our goal is to publish the book and place donated copies into hospitals, CICUs, and the hands of families who need them most.

Your support will help fund professional editing, printing, translation, and distribution so that no Heart Mom has to walk this journey feeling completely alone.

GiveButter fundraising link here https://givebutter.com/heart-mom-book-fundraising-ww1jo1 Stay tuned for book updates!

06/11/2026

A Dash of Love was sent to Utah today in honor of CJ & his family!

Please join us in prayer as he undergoes the DKS Procedure today. CJ has had a long journey of fighting in his first year of life. He has triumphed so much, already, and we know we will today, too!

We pray this surgery will give his heart the strength it needs to finally find stability. We pray for the medical team who will take care of him. We pray for his family that they may navigate this day with peace and full trust in their hearts. We pray to God, and any other spiritual guide this family trusts, that He/They may rest a healing hand over the entire team and family.

Please leave a loving comment below!

06/09/2026

‘Best Friend Day’ comes from a deeper place for some of us.

Because our version of doesn’t exactly look like something you’d see in the tabloids.

It looks like a best friend showing up with coffee after a long night in the ICU.

It looks like a best friend who knows exactly when you need a hug, a nap, or someone to remind you to eat.

It looks like a breathless hand grip awaiting impossible news.

It looks like taking turns being strong when neither of you really feels strong.

It looks like holding your baby under a thousand wires and praying your way through another day.

It looks like walking completely new ways of life and faith, together.

It looks like carrying fear, grief, hope, and gratitude together in ways unimaginable by others.

And somehow, through all of it, and after all of it, still choosing each other.

Somewhere along the way, “in sickness and in health” stopped being wedding vows and became the foundation for “best” without question.

‘Best friends’ doesn’t quite cover it.

06/07/2026

🍻❤️‍🩹Join us for A Dash of Love: On Tap! ❤️‍🩹🍻

Raise a glass for a great cause at

On Tuesday, July 14th from 5:00–8:00 PM, gather with friends, family, and fellow supporters for an evening of local brews, community, and giving back.

10% of all taproom proceeds during the event will be donated to A Dash of Love, a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting families experiencing medical trauma with a child, with a special focus on those impacted by Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) and open heart surgery.

Congenital Heart Disease affects 1 in 100 children born each year, making it the most common birth defect. Through care packages, hospital support, family resources, retreats, and community connections, A Dash of Love helps ensure no heart family walks this journey alone.

📅 Tuesday, July 14th
⏰ 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
📍 Wooden Hill Brewing Company
7421 Bush Lake Rd.
Edina, MN

Come enjoy a pint, great food, invite a friend, and help us support the 1 in 100 children born with Congenital Heart Disease.

Local Brews. Heartfelt Cause. Big Impact