Two-year old Shahd H.’s journey with Brave Heart and the Children’s Heart Center (CHC) at AUBMC began at birth when she was diagnosed with Doublet Inlet Left Ventricle, Single Ventricle, a rare heart defect in which the lower chamber of the heart does not develop. It is one of the most complex pediatric heart conditions, requiring staged surgeries. Shahd had her first heart surgery when she was 2-months old, a second one at the age of 1 and was due for her Fontan operation, the third and last of the surgeries performed to treat single ventricle defects.

Shahd’s father is a nurse and the sole provider in a household of 6 dependents. Every day he commutes from his home in the Bekaa to Beirut to provide for his family, barely making ends meet in light of Lebanon’s economic crisis.

Shahd needed urgent financial aid for her critical surgery. An online crowdfunding campaign was successfully launched to raise funds for Shahd.