Marylu’s story is one of extraordinary resilience, faith, and grace. At just 10 weeks old, she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at home. Her mom performed CPR until paramedics arrived, beginning a journey no parent could ever imagine.

The following day, at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, Marylu was placed on ECMO, a heart-lung bypass machine. Soon after, she suffered a stroke and underwent her first open-heart surgery to implant an ICD/pacemaker. After weeks in intensive care, she began inpatient rehab. Her challenges continued – she was readmitted with severe arrhythmias, and her ICD delivered hundreds of shocks in just a few days, rapidly draining its long-life battery.

She was placed back on ECMO and was later placed on the Berlin Heart BiVAD. During this time, she was diagnosed with Histiocytoid Cardiomyopathy (HCM), an extremely rare and life-threatening congenital heart disease with fewer than 150 cases reported worldwide. Additional surgeries followed, including one to support her breathing.

During a VAD pump exchange, Marylu experienced a serious mechanical complication. She was unresponsive for several minutes and couldn’t be resuscitated in the usual way due to having no functioning ventricles. Through urgent bedside intervention, she regained circulation. Eventually, she received her heart transplant, and although complications followed, she continued to fight through each setback. After months in the hospital, she was finally discharged.

Today, Marylu is in rehab, growing stronger each day, with hope in her heart and home on the horizon. Her journey is a living testament to the power of prayer, love, and miracles.