“I think, to me, the word hope means not giving up and believing that there is a possibility that what you’re wishing for can come true. In our situation it was giving our daughter a chance to live, to fight for her own life.” – John Sansbury
At her four-month ultrasound Hope was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLHS, and would need three open-heart surgeries to survive, beginning with the first stage when she was only a week old. We decided that if the cardiologists at Cincinnati Children’s could give her a fighting chance then we would have Hope, which became her namesake to remind us and everyone around her that miracles are real.
The first surgery was an initial success, but at 6-weeks-old she went into heart failure. She would need a heart transplant. After nearly three months waiting for her miracle, her new heart arrived! She is now 2-years-old and fighting to keep her new heart and we have faith she will thrive. She is a playful, happy, adventurous little girl who inspires those around her every day. Every giggle, every coo, every milestone, is sweeter when you’ve walked right up to the brink of losing it and survived.
John and Tess Sansbury, Parents of Hope
