HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Like most 9-year-olds, Finn loves to have fun. Whether he goes on the swing in the backyard playground or plays with his pets, there’s little that slows him down, except for the occasional change in his heart condition.

“I was diagnosed with CHD, a congenital heart disease,” Finn said. “Unlike other kids, I have my limits, so I can’t run around for that long.”

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“We had never heard of CHD. We had never heard of open heart surgery for babies,” said Finn’s mother, Kelly Blumenthal. “It wasn’t even on our radar at all.”

Nearly a year after her first son’s uncomplicated birth, Blumenthal said she first learned of her son’s life even before he was born.

“We found out about her heart disease when she was 19 weeks pregnant,” Blumenthal said. “They said his heart didn’t have a cavity and there would be abnormal connections around it.”

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Despite having to undergo open heart surgery shortly after birth, Blumenthal says Finn has defied the odds for nearly a decade.

“He was sedated a total of 18 times for various procedures, two of which were open heart surgeries,” Blumenthal said.

But despite major milestones in her son’s heart health, Blumenthal knows her fear is never far away. Because, just like when Finn was only five years old, an emergency can strike at any time.

“It was after his recent heart surgery and the day before Thanksgiving we were at Wegmans grocery store and he had a stroke,” Blumenthal said.

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Thanks in part to knowledgeable employees and an in-store AED, Blumenthal said he was able to get the help he needed immediately after his stroke and has managed to overcome all complications since. .

“Even though CHD was in my body for 10 years, I kept fighting,” Finn said.

“It’s really amazing that he went through what he went through for about 10 years on this journey and is now here. This is an absolute miracle,” Blumenthal said.

But even with his flaws, the now nine-year-old still has a lot of heart to give and a mission to accomplish. Finn’s family has a tradition of giving back.

“My grandmother and her great-grandmother raised $45,000 for the American Heart Association in the 1960s,” Blumenthal said.

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Because of that experience, Finn has spent his entire life telling his story as an ambassador for the American Heart Association. Thanks in part to his campaign, Finn’s Mission, the 9-year-old boy’s awareness efforts have helped more than 4,000 families in Virginia and 130,000 families nationwide learn hands-on CPR. is.

“Even though there are so many people, I’m still a kid,” Finn said with a smile.

Finn’s impact was so impressive that the AHA plans to present him with flowers at its Heart Bowl celebration in April, just in time for the organization’s 100th anniversary.

“It really feels like a dream,” Blumenthal said. “We’re really excited to go back and show him how he’s doing and everything that’s happened since he was two years old.”

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Now, Finn and his mother are trying to convince lawmakers to pass legislation in the form of Senate Bill 181, which would ensure that every school in the commonwealth and their respective athletic programs have a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP). We encourage you to join us in this fight.

The measure will train faculty, staff, and coaches in life-saving techniques such as manual, CPR-only, knowledge, and how to properly operate an AED, and conduct safety training to prepare for potential cardiac emergencies. is required.

“Awareness leads to funding, funding leads to research, and research leads to hope,” Blumenthal said.

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“I’m proud of myself for being able to do it all,” Finn said.

The Richmond Heart Ball will be held at Main Street Station in Richmond on Saturday, April 27th at 6 p.m.

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