Lea Parker - Giving Hope!

Yes, this is me eating a Dole Whip in front of the Haunted Mansion in Disney World with my daughter just a few weeks ago!  Because I received the gift of a new heart valve, I feel so blessed to be doing the things I love with the people I love!  I was born with a congenital heart defect and had open heart surgery in 2016 to replace my aortic valve and to repair an aortic aneurysm.  After my surgery, a Mended Hearts Accredited Visitor came to my hospital room and told me about her heart journey and gave me the courage and strength to move through my recovery. 

When people ask me why I spend so much time volunteering for Mended Hearts, I tell them the short answer is because someone did it for me. But, there are many, many reasons why I am passionate about this organization -- the people are incredible, and the work we do is unmatched. I am blessed to be living my best life and I want to help support other heart patients and their families. I am proud to volunteer at Mended Hearts and will devote my life to helping other heart patients. Through Mended Hearts, I realized how many people are affected by heart disease and what a great job this organization does in supporting heart patients and families. 

As a member of Mended Hearts, I have committed to helping advance the mission of the organization through this fundraising challenge. The Mended Hearts, Inc. has been inspiring hope and improving the lives of heart patients and their families for 70 years. This year we are striving to reach more communities to assure that our peer-to-peer support, education, and advocacy is available to everyone! 

Please consider helping us reach our goals and allow us the ability to bring the power of hope to so many! Any amount of donation is appreciated.