You gotta have heart

CELINA - The community came through in a big way to support efforts to battle a birth defect diagnosed in one out of every 100 babies.

The Congenital Heart Disease Stampede 5K, held Sept. 11 at Mercer County Fairgrounds, raised $25,120, that went to Conquering CHD-Ohio, a nonprofit that fights for congenital heart disease patients and their families.

The local benefit generated nearly a third of the total $84,676 raised statewide from 5K walks and runs in September, according to local event organizer, Molli Schleucher. She and her husband, Adam, have a son who was born with CHD.

Cash, 2, nearly died from the heart defect shortly after his birth. Through the grace of God and the hands of medical professionals, he now enjoys jumping, laughing, bathing, swimming and listening to music, his mother said.

Schleucher said she was shocked with the outpouring of love and donations from community members. But then again, given this is Mercer County, an area known for its generosity and altruism, Molli Schleucher said it wasn't entirely unexpected.

"Our community is amazing at supporting local families and local needs," she said.

About 100 participants showed up to run or walk at the fairgrounds. Most, though, weren't as concerned about their times as they were about rallying around heart families and heart warriors. CHD is a serious and potentially fatal abnormality that has no cure, Molli Schleucher said.

"We had three heart families that were present that day and this is the first event locally that I'm aware of that allowed heart families to come together and support each other," she said.

In addition to the 5K, areas businesses donated to the cause, Molli Schluecher said. Raffle ticket sales helped organizers take in $15,000 and two girls raised $1,140 through their lemonade stand.

"It just kind of snowballed into other things," she said. "We had a lot of local businesses that were willing to donate that allowed us to expand what the fundraiser looked like. It became more than just a 5K."

Last year, due to COVID-19, Schleucher and the state organization held scaled back virtual events.

Using the fairground allowed for social distancing and a much larger event this year. A moment of silence and prayer also was observed in memory of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, she said.

All funds raised from the event were donated to Conquering CHD-Ohio to continue research.

"We wanted to make sure that this money was being used for what we were advocating for and advocating donations for," she said. "With Conquering CHD-Ohio, not only is no one being paid and it's all volunteer but they're well established. There are representatives of Conquering CHD in all the children's hospitals in Ohio."

Significant strides into the research and treatment of CHD have been made, Schleucher said.

"2015 was the first time a doctor could specialize in adult CHD, meaning that we weren't having people live into adulthood so there was no need for it prior," she said. "We actually have enough kids living into adulthood with the advances we've had in research that there's a need for adult congenital heart disease doctors."

Just as importantly, the local 5K put a spotlight on a disease of which many are not aware and brought together people affected by the disease, Molli Schleucher said.

Twice as many babies die each year from congenital heart disease and heart defects than all pediatric cancers combined, she said, calling for more awareness of and funding for research into congenital heart disease.

"These children have no cure so it's a continuous fight for their life. Some children require surgery or multiple surgeries but all of them require continued ongoing treatment through specialized care to ensure that their heart is functioning," she said.

Molli Schleucher said having a network of heart families is important for parents who have children with CHD, many of whom must undergo multiple surgeries.

A few days after the birth of their son, Molli and Adam Schleucher found Cash was not breathing correctly and his temperature was dropping. The couple rushed him to Dayton Children's Hospital, where staff leaped into action.

It took hospital staff four and a half hours to stabilize Cash, who was declared the sickest baby in the facility, Molli Schleucher said. His fate at that time was unknown.

Once stabilized, Cash was transferred to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, where the family would spend the next month.

Suffering from acute kidney and liver failure, it was not until Cash was 12 days old that he was stable enough to undergo open-heart surgery with open bypass.

He underwent additional surgery and continues to see multiple specialists at Nationwide for residual issues that require monitoring.

Cash is now doing well and his repairs are holding, she said.

"You can't fix a congenital heart disease or defect in the heart, you can only repair it and it will last for so long and then you repair it again," she said. "We're two years out from his repairs. They're holding very well. They're growing with him as he's grown steady."

A major growth spurt, though, could spell trouble if Cash's heart is unable to keep up with it, she said.

CHD-Ohio fights for congenital heart disease patients and their families from prenatal diagnosis through adulthood and aids families who have lost loved ones.