Our Story
On February 13, 2024, we brought Lincoln to a local hospital for shortness of breath, fast heartrate, and stomach pain. We were shocked to learn he was in severe heart failure. Two days later, he was transferred by critical care ambulance to Boston Children’s Hospital. There, we learned Lincoln had dilated cardiomyopathy, a diagnosis that came out of nowhere.
Conversations about the possibility of our 4-year-old needing a heart transplant began.
He spent 3.5 weeks at BCH before we were discharged home, hopeful his heart would recoverwith medication. But on April 24, Lincoln’s health declined and he was readmitted, intubated, and placed on ECMO. He later had surgery to receive a Berlin Heart, a mechanical pump that kept him alive while waiting for a transplant. His body was so weak from all the trauma and needed time to recover. Eventually, he grew stronger and became more stable, thanks to the Berlin Heart.
At just 4 years old, Lincoln had to adjust to full-time hospital life while we tried to hold our family together—my husband Mike stayed in CT during the week to work as a State Trooper while I left my job as a nurse to be with Lincoln. Our daughter Hailey was cared for by family during the day while Mike was at work and they both came up to Boston every single weekend. We lived like this for 10 months—split between Boston and CT. With the support of our community, we were able to rent a nearby apartment and sustain this crazy life.
On February 27, Lincoln turned 5 and had a magical birthday celebration thanks to the Boston Fire Department. Just five days later, he received his new heart.
After 327 consecutive days in the hospital (352 days total), Lincoln finally came home—free of machines, running in the yard, sleeping in his own bed, and back with his whole family.
Today, Lincoln is in kindergarten and is truly living his best life, going on endless adventures with his family. He’ll be on anti-rejection meds for life and will continue to need close follow-up care in Boston—but overall he’s doing so well. We are forever grateful to his donor and their family, the incredible team at BCH, and everyone who supported us through the hardest year of our lives.
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