Congenital heart defects (CHD) are among the most common birth defects that babies are born with, and in Christian County, Tymeless Hearts Inc. works to support families impacted by CHD and raise awareness.
Beth Brown works as a teacher at Heritage Christian Academy and serves as the executive director of Tymeless Hearts. At Thursday’s Hopkinsville Kiwanis Club meeting, Brown shared what led her to launch the nonprofit.
Brown was inspired to establish Tymeless Hearts after her son Ethan was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome while she was still pregnant with him. Brown traveled to a hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that specializes in CHD to receive prenatal care.
Ethan was born on May 3, 2006, and Brown says doctors told her that he had to be put on a ventilator just hours after his birth. Then, a few days later, he underwent open-heart surgery.
Brown says Ethan was later diagnosed with Spinal Meningitis, which led them back to the hospital in Michigan. Eventually, they were back in Kentucky, and Brown says Ethan had frequent check-ups at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. On August 17, 2006, Ethan passed away from his condition.
After Ethan’s passing, Brown decided to launch Tymeless Hearts. She says many people are not aware of CHD, and she was not aware of the condition’s prevalence until Ethan was diagnosed.
Many babies diagnosed with CHD go on to live past infancy, and Brown spotlighted some children and an adult who are living today with heart-related conditions.
Tymeless Hearts raises funds to provide resources and support to families with children who have CHD. Brown says she has come across families who were planning to skip Christmas because of hospital bills and travel expenses, so the nonprofit provides holiday gifts for children with heart defects.
The nonprofit also sends those children care packages and offers parents assistance with rent, mortgages, gas and other expenses.
Along with the financial support, Brown says the nonprofit hosts an annual spring festival for the community that’s free for CHD-impacted families. The funds raised by the festival supports the nonprofit’s mission.
More information about Tymeless Hearts is available at tymelesshearts.org.