Got Heart?

Hi, my name is Josh Loya. Before I was born, I was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a type of severe congenital heart disease. My mom was told by her doctors in San Antonio to wait for me to die or terminate the pregnancy. My mom refused to give up on me, so she started looking for doctors around the country who could help. Fortunately, she found a doctor at the University of Michigan's Mott Children's Hospital who said that if she went there to have me, he would do everything he could to save me. That's what my mom needed to hear, so after weeks went by and I kept kicking, she went to Michigan to have me. Doctors swept me away to put me on a ventilator and stabilize me as soon as I was born. At 19 days old, I received a heart transplant. During the waiting period and my recovery, my mom stayed at the Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor where she received a place to stay, food, and comfort at very little cost. Without the Ronald McDonald House, my mom's trip to Michigan would have been too financially burdening and I wouldn't be here today. 

My hope for this fundraiser is to give back to a charity that made my life possible and did so much for my mom when she was facing uncertain circumstances. I want people who are facing something like my mom did 17 years ago to be able to find the same comfort, hospitality, and hope in the Ronald McDonald House of Houston that she did in Ann Arbor when I was born. Through my routine visits to the Houston Medical Center for my own care, I often meet families in the Ronald McDonald Rooms of the hospital whose children or close loved ones are going through a medical hardship similar to my own. Sharing my story gives them hope and the Ronald McDonald House of Houston eases the burden on these families who come from cities all over the world to get the best medical treatment for their children. This fundraiser is another way that I am able to give back to a charity that has done so much for my mom and many others while they seek medical care for their children, and it will help to save more lives of kids like me.