A Community Forever Heart Connected

Local Heart Foundation Benefits Families Suffering from Heart Diseases

In December 2015, when Stacie Adams was 17 weeks pregnant with her second child, she and her fiancé, Jeremy Bordelon, discovered via sonogram that the baby had multiple, lifethreatening heart defects. She was diagnosed with Double Inlet Left Ventricle, Hypoplastic Right Ventricle, Transposition of the Great Arteries, Hypoplastic Aortic Arch, Coarctation of the Aorta, and Ventricular Septal Defect. Basically, the baby would be born with only half a heart. The remainder of the pregnancy was filled with worry and concern for the unknowns, all while continuing to care for son Maddox, age two at the time. Stacie’s niece hosted a gender reveal party. “We opened a box and found a pink balloon that said, ‘It’s a Girl!’ As I held our son, I stood there and cried, realizing this was all surreal . . . but trusting God.”

At 37 weeks into her pregnancy, the family moved to Houston to be close to Texas Children’s Hospital, where Stacie would deliver. The baby would be in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) and need her first surgery within the first week of life. On May 3, 2016, at 39 weeks, Addison was born. “We were told there was a possibility that we would not be able to hold Addison after she was born. Thankfully, we were able to hold her but for only a few minutes. She was put in the incubator and walked over to the CVICU. Jeremy accompanied her, and on their way, they passed another dad who gently tapped Jeremy on the back for encouragement. Later, we realized this was the moment we joined a family that we never knew existed.”

Addison had the first of her three surgeries on May 9 and remained in the hospital for six more weeks. The family continued to live in Houston for her care and until after her second surgery that September. “Finally in mid-October, we were allowed to go back to Lake Charles for her to continue to grow until she reached the age of three to five to have the third heart surgery. And we did just that. Life was different but we were getting used to our new normal.”

Fast forward three years. Not long prior to Addison’s third surgery, the couple discovered Local Heart Foundation via one of Jeremy’s relatives. Stacie contacted Susannah Todd, then-director of the foundation, and she quickly found ways to assist the family. “Within a couple days, Susannah had an apartment for us, gift cards for meals and gift cards for gas,” Stacie recalls. “We were blown away by Local Heart Foundation’s assistance for our unplanned financial burden. Because of the foundation, both Jeremy and were able to stay with Addison in Houston for her entire hospital stay after her third surgery in October 2019. After Addison’s surgery, Susannah and Tammy Andreas, co-founder of Local Heart Foundation, visited us in the hospital, bringing Addison treats and stuffed animals. Not only did the foundation assist with financial burdens, they also showed compassion and prayed for Addison’s health and strength for our family.”

In 2020, Stacie and Jeremy shared their story at Local Heart Foundation’s annual fundraising event. Stacie says they were honored to speak about Addison’s unique heart disorder, the challenges families face when needing to travel out of town for cardiac care, and how Local Heart Foundation assists these families.

“We felt blessed to have been a part of such a fun and inspiring event,” she adds. Today, Addison is thriving and has started kindergarten. “Her team of doctors say she is doing amazingly well,” Stacie says. “Addison will continue to grow and spread her joyful spirit.”

But the story doesn’t end there. Stacie has been working on a psychology degree from McNeese State University, in hopes of helping other families. Last October, Tammy called her and told her that Susannah was resigning from Local Heart Foundation’s director’s position to care for her new baby and offered the position to Stacie.

“I was stunned,” Stacie says. Tammy offered me my dream job! am excited to begin this journey with such a wonderful foundation and am even more excited to do it with Tim and Tammy Andreas. Being on the frontline, helping other heart families with similar diagnoses, both financially and emotionally, is the most rewarding and humbling experience. God prepared me for this journey to assist other families through my own daughter’s heart.”

Local Heart Foundation was formed in 2017 by Tim and Tammy Andreas to assist families of children and adults with heart disease. Visit Local Heart Foundation on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with local heart patients, event announcements, and more. Visit their website at www. localheartfoundation.org Local Heart Foundation currently only accepts Applications for Assistance from cardiologist’s offices. If you are receiving treatment for heart disease and need assistance, please contact your cardiologist.