Meet Miles

Miles is two, even though he thinks he is the same age as the twins. He has been ornery since birth and is always in motion. Miles is also very charming and is quite the ladies’ man. He loves daycare, reading books, building things, tractors, horses, telling stories, and anything related to construction equipment. Miles lights up the room with his smile and has an infectious laugh. He is the life of the party and radiates joy wherever he goes

We have been involved with the Wanek Family Program for HLHS since we started our HLHS journey with Ava. Both Ava and Miles had their cord blood collected as part of their program, and Miles was the third child in the world to participate in their clinical trial. We are excited about their mission and believe that through their research and innovation, they will create better ways to help children with HLHS.

Miles Harold is our second little miracle. We chose to name him Miles because it means “gift from God” in Hebrew. His middle name, Harold, was chosen to honor his great grandfather and our beloved heart surgeon, Dr. Harold Burkart. When we found out Miles had HLHS, we couldn’t believe it was happening again. How could we care for two medically fragile children? Thankfully, Miles has been much more stable from the start, and we have been able to enjoy many of the little things we missed with Ava. Miles confirmed my purpose in life is to be a heart mom and make a difference within the HLHS community. He makes me laugh and heals my heart with each snuggle. We cannot imagine this journey without him.