Like most active toddlers, Carolena Long, or “Baby C”, is full of life. She is curious and mischievous and loves to play with her big brothers. Her dazzling smile, silly giggles and curly pigtails belie the fact she was born with a broken heart. Just shy of four years old, "Baby C” has endured three open heart surgeries; six heart catherizations; surgery to repair malrotation of the GI tract; and
placement of a permanent feeding tube as a result of Heterotaxy Syndrome, a rare birth defect involving the heart and other organs. Of the defects, a Hypoplastic Left Heart (HLHS) is the most severe, as Baby C has only a single ventricle heart. Medical interventions for HLHS children are life-prolonging and palliative; there is no cure and long term prognosis is uncertain. She is also under close observation to see if she may need a lung transplant with her eventual heart transplant. Proceeds from the Race for Baby C will help defray the significant medical expenses, therapy, and care she acquires. Register for 2013 Event:
http://www.active.com/5k-race/fort-myers-fl/race-for-baby-c-2013
Donations can be made at:
www.active.com/donate/RaceForBabyC2013
