Feel the Beat 2016: Christina DeShaw and Kelly DiMaggio

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Sep 9, 2016 | Suzanne Ferguson | @suzannerferguson

We are excited to announce two more guest speakers who will be joining Stacey Lihn and Meagan Broucek during our Feel the Beat event on October 8. We can’t wait to hear what they have to say about HLHS and collaboration. Don’t forget to register!

Christina DeShaw

Christina DeShaw is blessed to be the mom of two HLHS heart warriors. First, in 2012, she and her husband, Brad Weitl, welcomed Ava and her twin brother Aidan. Then in March of this year, Miles was born and decided to make their family complete. Christina and her family have participated in the research both at the Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for HLHS and The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City. She believes that a strong partnership between parents and medical providers is imperative to providing HLHS heart warriors with the best possible outcomes. Christina is dedicated to raising awareness about HLHS and to providing families with hope, encouragement, and resources at www.livingwithhlhs.com. Follow along with Christina and her family as they live “wholeheartedly” with HLHS.

Kelly DiMaggio

You may remember Kelly DiMaggio, as she was featured on our blog back in 2014. Kelly is 27 years old with mitral atresia, Dextro-Transposition of the Great Arteries with pulmonary stenosis and HLHS. She underwent numerous surgeries during the first four years of life, but that hasn’t stopped Kelly from living life to the fullest. She graduated from Dickinson College in 2011 and married her husband Michael in October of 2013. Kelly now works full time and lives outside of Washington, D.C. In her free time, she and her husband travel as much as they can. After participating in the research program here at the Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for HLHS, Kelly is committed to raising congenital heart disease awareness and is a featured blogger for the Adult Congenital Heart Association.

Please register for Feel the Beat here! For any questions, please contact our HLHS team at HLHS@mayo.edu. Can’t make it to Rochester, MN on October 8? Follow us on Twitter during the event and even ask our physicians and researchers any questions you may have using #feelthebeat2016. We will also be live streaming portions of the day on social media.

The Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) is a collaborative network of specialists bonded by the vision of delaying or preventing heart failure for individuals affected by congenital heart defects including HLHS. The specialized team is addressing the various aspects of these defects by using research and clinical strategies ranging from basic science to diagnostic imaging to regenerative therapies.