Early in her pregnancy, Viola learned that her baby wasn’t gaining enough weight. The doctors suspected that she had a heart condition. They warned Viola that her baby would be in the fight of her life. When Omaria was born, she was quickly admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Five days later, she underwent her first open heart surgery. But, this was just the beginning of their journey.
Omaria ended up living at the hospital for the first four months of her life. Time and time again, Viola was told that her daughter would likely not make it. On top of dealing with the constant fear and stress, Viola and her husband had to quit their jobs so they could at the hospital with their baby and care for their four-year-old son. They had no income and needed a way to support their family.
“It was so hard for us not being able to work,” Viola said, “Without a paycheck coming in, we were thinking, how, even if Omaria feels better, are we going to have a place to live after this?”
In their time of need, Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation provided rental assistance, gas, groceries, and more to ease their everyday burdens and help them focus on their daughter when it mattered the most.
“It’s incredible…I never knew there were people like this,” Viola said. “That’s what made me keep going—knowing I was going to be able to focus on my daughter.”
Viola and her family are eternally grateful to the many people who helped them in their greatest time of need. A special thank you to our partners at Jessie’s Heart for helping us support Omaria and other cardiac patients in our community.
