Beating on

Melissa Faiers almost lost her daughter.

When she gave birth to Elizabeth last year doctor’s found that she did not have a tricuspid valve, had a small right ventricle and had a hole between the two ventricles. This meant that blood could not enter the underdeveloped ventricle to bring oxygen into her lungs.

The blood flowed through the hole.

Her family rushed her to the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children where she received surgery on her heart to allow a higher flow of blood into her lungs.

"It was incredibly overwhelming, how do you put it into words," Faiers said. "She’s sitting in your arms and she seems perfectly fine and then you have to hand her to the doctor. You know it is going to be days before she’s herself again. You feel like she’s going away for weeks at a time. But if you don’t let them take her, then you’re only going to have weeks with her. It tears you apart."

The surgery saved Elizabeth's life and now she could celebrate her first birthday on Wednesday.

Faiers said Elizabeth will have the second stage of the surgery around the spring of next year and probably won’t need another surgery until she’s much older.

Thankful of what Sickkids had done, Faiers said they organized the Hope For a Future walk fundraiser for the hospital. Despite the freshly fallen snow, more than a hundred participants attended the walk at the Current River Community Centre on Saturday.

At the party, Faiers carried Elizabeth around for all to see while her dad, Andrew, and her two older brothers six-year-old Johnny and three-year-old Kaleb wandered around.

"What we wanted to do was support the research at Sickkids," she said. "It’s so we can sort of insure that we will get more birthdays with Elizabeth."

Faiers knew that the research might not directly impact her daughter, but she felt comfort in knowing that would still be helping a child with similar health issues as her daughter’s.

Faiers added they hoped to raise $7,000.

Melissa Kennedy, a friend of Faiers, had accepted the mission to help her friend. She went to all the Mac’s Convenience stores in Thunder Bay and set up donation boxes. She had four weeks to raise as much as possible.

By the time of the walk, she raised more than $5,400.

Kennedy said she felt proud to have helped a friend in need.

"We raised $5,460 in four weeks so we’re pretty proud of that," Kennedy said. "Faiers lives in my neighbourhood, I know her, she works with my brother and I don’t know this (walk) is happening? I said I think I can help you. I will make it my mission to (raise awareness) from Current River to the mountain"

Kennedy, who has two daughters of her own, said cried when she heard the news she just thought how difficult it was for her.

She hoped the walk became an annual event.

The final amount raised was $13,196.50.