Open your Heart to Little Zach

Baby Zachary will face the biggest fight of his life the moment he's born.

We can help him win before the second week of December.

When Zachary is to be born, he won’t be cradled on his mother’s chest.

Instead, surgeons will cut through his tiny chest come second week of December, 2018.

At the Philippine Children’s Medical center where he will be ambulanced right after birth,

he will go through an open-heart surgery.

The first few hours of his life will be a battle our baby can’t win on his own.

We need your help.

You see, Little Zac has a congenital heart defect.

The defect – Pulmonary Valve Atresia – was confirmed last November 8 on a Congenital anomaly scan when the mother, Jean, was 32 weeks pregnant.

Pulmonary Valve Atresia is a rare form of Congenital Heart Disease that affects one out of 10,000 newborns. This happens when the pulmonary valve didn’t form properly.

Without this valve, blood can't flow from the heart to the pulmonary artery and on to the lungs to become oxygenated and supplied to the body.

Oxygen is life.

And right now, cozy inside, Zac gets all the oxygenated blood he needs from Mommy Jean.

But the moment he leaves his mother’s womb, his battle begins.

His heart won’t be able to pump enough blood to sustain his body.

He needs surgery to live.

In addition, the doctors must try to keep the duct open by injecting a drug called Prostaglandin to improve blood flow.

Still, one surgery and medications still won’t fix the problem.

But these will allow Zac to live longer until his body can handle more major surgeries ahead to repair or replace the valve.

It’s going to be a long and difficult journey.

At a time when we’re all planning for Christmas, Mommy Jean and Daddy KR are planning how to give their first-born a fighting a chance to live.

That fighting chance cost millions.

A price that average young parents like Jean and KR can’t afford on their own.

They are a newly-wed young couple who are just starting to build a family.

As we excitedly open presents this Christmas Eve, Little Zach will have tubes, wires and bandages.

He will spend weeks and months in intensive care.

Jean and KR will have to make tough choices.

And they choose to fight for life. Fight for Zach.

Because as heart-breaking as congenital heart diseases are, we can’t give up…

Will you let a little Heart Break?

We are knocking to your hearts for prayers and your generosity.

Any amount will go a long way to help Jean and KR stay stronger and keep their family together.

We have faith

And hope, with you.

We’ll be launching a prayer brigade to stay strong for Zach, our brave little warrior inside.

He may have a different heart, but we’ll love him just the same.

So please, to the mother and father inside of you, open your heart to Little Zach.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11