I have been accepted to Baylor University in Waco to pursue a degree in psychology. I was born with a congenital heart defect, which makes a difference in my lifestyle and inspires my desire to help others cope with their life challenges. My family’s history with heart issues can be traced back as far as my maternal grandfather. His condition, the same as mine, was first diagnosed as a child, and many doctors saw him over the years. As a 15-year-old, Dr. Denton Cooley recommended surgery. The surgery to repair his aorta was highly delicate and would require him to be bedridden for an entire year. He and his parents decided against the procedure. His condition was controlled through a modified lifestyle. Our family again faced the challenge of heart issues when my grandfather and grandmother married and gave birth to a son and a daughter (my mother), each having different congenital heart defects. Again, their conditions were managed with a modified lifestyle. When my mother and father married, and started a family of their own, a pattern seemed to develop. They were told my oldest brother had been born with the same defect as my grandfather and uncle. Doctors monitored him for any significant changes throughout childhood. Then a second son was born with the same heart defect and gastric issues that would require emergency surgery at six weeks of age. For this surgery to proceed, a cardiologist was called in. My family became acquainted with Dr. Deepak Srivastava at Children's Hospital in Dallas. He is a research cardiologist who began to question the family’s history of congenital heart defects. My parents and extended family were asked to participate in his genetic research efforts. He is now President of the Gladstone Institute of the University of California in San Francisco. He did discover the gene mutation specific to my family. This second son recovered entirely from his gastric surgery, and continued to be monitored every six months for his congenital heart defect, since his defect was more severe than other family members. His first open heart surgery to repair his aorta took place at eighteen-month-old, and six months later he had surgery for stents to his pulmonary arteries. He did not survive the second heart surgery. After a time, my family chose to relocate to Sugar Land, Texas, and I was born the following year. I also have a congenital heart defect, so my family sought the help of Dr. Srivastava to find a cardiologist at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. He recommended Dr. Susan Ayers, head of cardiology. She noted a change in my brother’s heart just as he became a teenager. Surgery was performed to repair his aorta and relieve the pressure in the upper chamber of his heart, with a complete recovery on my brother’s part. I no longer live in Houston, but I have remained her patient and travel to Houston annually for monitoring appointments. My heart defect is called Supravalvular Aortic Stenosis, which causes a narrowing in my aorta just above the aortic valve, making it harder for the blood to pump through my heart to the rest of my body. So far, my condition has stayed between mild to moderate; I have been able to go about my activities without surgery due to my modified lifestyle. Having lost multiple family members to our genetic heart defect, I want to help others. I hope to have and provide for a family someday. Gaining an education, allowing me to have an impact on others, and having a family are extremely important to me.

I have been accepted to Baylor University in Waco to pursue a degree in psychology. My application for this scholarship is related to my congenital heart defect, which makes a difference in my lifestyle and my desire to help others cope with their life challenges. I can trace my heart defect back as far as my maternal grandfather. His condition was first diagnosed as a child, and many doctors saw him over the years. As a 15-year-old, he was taken to Dr. Denton Cooley in Houston, and surgery was recommended. However his parents decided against the procedure. His condition was controlled through restricted activities and a modified lifestyle. Our family again faced the challenge of heart issues when my grandfather and grandmother married, and gave birth to a son and a daughter (my mother), each having different congenital heart defects. Again, their conditions were managed with a modified lifestyle. It was not until my mother and father married and started a family of their own that a pattern seemed to develop. They were told my oldest brother had also been born with the same defect as my grandfather and uncle. Doctors monitored him throughout childhood. My parents then had a second son. He not only was born with the same heart defect, but he also had gastric issues that required emergency surgery at six weeks of age. Before surgery could proceed, my brother would need a pediatric cardiologist to examine him. This was when my family became acquainted with Dr. Deepak Srivastava at Children's Hospital in Dallas. He is a research cardiologist, and he began to question the family’s history of congenital heart defects, and asked my parents and extended family to participate in his genetic research efforts. He is now President of the Gladstone Institute of the University of California in San Francisco. He did discover the gene mutation specific to my family and continues to follow our family’s journey. This second son recovered entirely from his gastric surgery. He continued to be monitored every six months for his congenital heart defect, since his defect was more severe than my other family members. He was scheduled for his first open heart surgery to repair the narrowing of his aorta as an eighteen-month-old, and six months later to have surgery for stents to his pulmonary arteries. He did not survive the second heart surgery. My family moved to Sugar Land, Texas, and I was born the following year. I also have a congenital heart defect, so my family sought to find a cardiologist in Houston. Dr. Srivastava recommended Dr. Susan Ayers, head of cardiology at Texas Children's Hospital. As she monitored our conditions, she noted a change in my brother’s heart. He was twelve, and open heart surgery was immediately recommended to repair his aorta. The surgery was a complete success. My heart defect also causes a narrowing in my aorta, and hinders my ability to play contact sports. So far, my condition has stayed between mild to moderate; I have been able to go about my activities without surgery due to my modified lifestyle. During my four years at Flower Mound High School, I have found my niche in marching band. Marching band is still highly demanding, and requires diligent monitoring. Although I never met my second-born brother, he still significantly impacted my life. Having lost multiple family members to our genetic heart defect, I am inspired to help others. I also look forward to having and providing for a family someday. Gaining an education where I can help others, and having a family are extremely important to me.