Events | BFCF

Boston Children's Hospital Corporate Cup

Thursday, July 13th, 2023

Harvard Athletic Complex

Patient Partner: Ari

Baystate Financial Team 1: $10,640 raised to date
Baystate Financial Team 2: $14,585 raised to date

Click here to learn more and donate!

Ari's Story:

Ari was a healthy 10-day-old baby, so why had
he suddenly stopped breathing? Doctors at his
local hospital quickly intubated him, but they
weren’t sure how else to help him. Ari needed
expert pediatric care.

A team from Boston Children’s Hospital rushed
over in a specialized ambulance to transfer him.

There, Ari got answers. He had three congenital
heart defects and was in heart failure. There was
also a mystery flap hanging onto his heart valve by a thread. Doctors had never seen that flap in other kids. Though the family gave it a funny nickname, the flap posed a serious problem. If it broke loose, it could get into his bloodstream and cause a lethal stroke. Sir Flops-A-Lot had to go.

They decided the best course of action would
be open heart surgery to repair Ari’s heart and
remove the flap, which turned out to be excess
tissue. “Even through the tears, I believed in

Dr. Emani, Ari’s heart surgeon, and the team at Boston Children’s”, Heidi said. “They showed
so much care, not just with Ari, but with us and
with Ari’s sister, Talia, who was just 2 years old
at the time.”

The surgery was a success! As Ari spent the next
few weeks recovering in the hospital. He was on
his way to thriving! The nurses and child life
specialists taught Heidi and her family how to
care for him and two weeks later, he was able
to go home.

Ari is now 9 and living a wonderful life. He loves
Legos, Star Wars, and parkour. His favorite book
series is "Wings of Fire" and when he grows up,
he wants to be a survivalist. Based on all that he
has overcome, some would argue Ari is already
more than just a survivalist.