Giving Back

On March 5th, 2009, at a routine sonogram, my wife Jennifer and I learned that our twin girl had a conjenitive heart defect. This was a changing point in our life and now Johns Hopkins Pediatric Cardiology would become part of our family. Her diagnosis was determined as Double Outlet Right Ventricle.

On April 9, 2009, Mason Johnson Bieberich and Madison Waters Bieberich entered our lives 10 weeks prematurely. Mason hit the scales at 3.2lbs and Madison, 3.5lbs. This early arrival led to a 10 week stay at Johns Hopkins NICU and the beginning of Madison’s cardiac care.

Madison’s 1st heart surgery was June 2, 2009 when she was 55 days old and now 5 lbs. She had a right Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt inserted into her right pulmonary artery. Given her weight, the Cardiac Team had determined that the shunt would be placed as initial therapy, rather than proceeding with a complete intracardiac repair. Madison was placed on Cardiopulmonary bypass for 77 minutes. Her surgeon was Dr. Luca Vricella. Madison spent 7 days in the pediatric intensive care unit before returning to the NICU.

Over the next 18 months Madison endured two more open heart surgeries, two heart catherizations and a recovery from endocarditis, a blood infection in the heart. All together Madison spent over 115 days at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Today, Madison is a normal toddler and you would never know what she has endured in her early life. For this reason Johns Hopkins Pediatric Cardiology was our natural choice to give back.

Thank You,
Capt Karl Bieberich

*A percentage of every charter ran is donated to this cause.