Harper is determined young girl who loves to sing, dance and ride her bike. She has watched all the classic Disney movies and loves princesses.
When Harper’s mom, Hsin, was pregnant, an ultrasound at McMaster Children’s Hospital confirmed that her daughter had a heart defect. Two months after she was born, Harper experienced SVT, an unusually fast heartbeat that affects the heart’s upper chambers. She was at 260 heartbeats per minute. After being rushed to McMaster via ambulance, they resuscitated her and put her on medication for complications.
She had her first surgery in June 2021 at SickKids and it was successful, but 3 days later she went into cardiac arrest. After CPR and being put on an ECMO machine, she had another surgery and stayed in the Critical Care Unit for 6 weeks to recover. Harper had to relearn how to walk and talk again through rehabilitation. After many setbacks and after a severe decline in her health, she was put on the heart transplant list. In December of 2021, Harper was admitted to SickKids for long term care where she and her family waited for a miracle.
In July 2022, Harper’s dreams came true and she finally received her new heart! After she was discharged, she got to see Toronto for the first time and her family took her on a shopping spree where she picked out dresses and toys. She was able to start school in September 2022 and although she is a year younger than her peers, she has so much tenacity for life.
Thanks to your support of world-class research, treatment and care through the SickKids Foundation, kids like Harper can thrive.
