This post is sponsored by Custom Ink. All opinions are my own.

I will always vividly remember the day that I learned I was going to be a Heart Mom.

It was midway through my first pregnancy, and my husband and I were at our Anatomy Scan appointment at my doctor’s office. We were so excited knowing that in just minutes we would find out if we were having a boy or a girl. The ultrasound technician was happy to tell us that we were expecting a little girl, and I’m sure she enjoyed watching our expressions of pride on our faces.

Shortly after, though, the mood changed. The technician told us that she could not get a good picture of the baby’s heart, and that she needed to go get the doctor. My early mommy instincts told me at that moment that something was wrong. My instincts were correct.

That day our doctor informed us that our little girl would be born with a Congenital Heart Defect.

That day our parenting journey took a detour toward a path I never expected.

That day our lives changed forever.

We went from planning nursery decor to touring different hospitals. We met with perinatologists and pediatric cardiologists. We got a crash course in cardiac anatomy and stayed strong for our baby. We were scared, but we were hopeful.

Before hearing this news from the doctor, I did not know what a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) was. I felt so alone hearing the new diagnosis. I didn’t understand how or why this was happening to our family. I later learned that CHD’s are the most common birth defect and affect approximately 1% of all babies born.

When my daughter was born, she was whisked away to the NICU and later transferred to a Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at a children’s hospital. She was hospitalized for 66 days during which time she went through so much, including her first open heart surgery at only seven weeks old. She was a fighter with resilient strength. She was tiny, but fierce. We knew it even back then. Now almost eight years later, our daughter is still small and mighty, and continues to beat the odds every day.

About three years ago we gave birth to our second child, a son, who we found out at two months old was also born with a CHD, although not as severe as our daughter’s. This was also devastating and unexpected, although we were better prepared this time having been through it once before.

Because of our experiences, I am very invested in promoting awareness of congenital heart disease. I want other families who are just getting their babies’ diagnoses to know that they are not alone. I want them to know that support is out there and there are so many people who understand exactly where they are at this moment because they have been there, too.

That is why I was so excited and honored to have to opportunity to partner with Custom Ink (a company that I absolutely love!) to create a fundraiser in support of Mended Little Hearts.

Mended Little Hearts is a non-profit organization that provides patients and families of children with congenital heart disease many services that directly improve their quality of life. Some of their services include peer support, education, hospital outreach, and CHD awareness initiatives.

It means so much to me to have this opportunity to create a shirt in support of Mended Little Hearts, and I love how easy Custom Ink makes it to design your own shirts. I have used this company before to create shirts in the past and always go back to them when I need any custom apparel because of the ease of use, product quality and customer service.

I love my new “Kind Hearts” shirts, and I am so excited to see my family and friends wearing them around in support of this amazing cause. They are incredibly soft and fit just perfectly. And the best part? All proceeds from this fundraiser will go directly to Mended Little Hearts!!!

If you have any fundraising needs, I encourage you to go with Custom Ink. Here’s why –

Custom Ink Fundraising is an online platform that makes it easy to raise funds and awareness by selling custom t-shirts — there’s no inventory, up-front costs, or risk.  How it works:

1. Design your shirt: Create something unique. Use a design that represents your cause or has personal meaning, and an inspirational message that will resonate with your supporters.
2. Tell your story: Consider why you are supporting the cause and what it means to you. Share your story on social media to bring awareness to          your campaign.
3. Track your progress: Track the success of your campaign and money raised through the Custom Ink Fundraising Dashboard.
4. Easy fulfillment: Once the campaign has closed, Custom Ink fulfills          the orders and the money raised is sent directly to the designated cause.

So, please support my fundraiser and Mended Little Hearts today by purchasing one of the shirts I designed! Let’s spread some kindness, one heart (and one shirt) at a time.

View my fundraiser here!