Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire and Edwards Lifesciences Grant Wish to Five-Year Old Heart Valve Patient in New Video at HeartValveSurgery.com
Irvine, California (PRWEB) December 19, 2013 -- HeartValveSurgery.com, the largest educational resource and community of patients with heart valve disease, announced today that it has released, "AJ’s Wish Comes True,” a new video to commemorate the wish granting ceremony of Abraham Jordan Iqueda (AJ), a five-year old heart valve patient diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome.
Since 1983, Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire has granted over 4,500 wishes to children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions living in Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. For his wish, AJ, who has already had three open-heart procedures, wanted a playground built in his backyard.
To watch the video, click here.
"Although AJ loves swings and slides, he cannot be exposed to the germs at public playgrounds as a result of CHARGE Syndrome,” shared Vicky Iqueda, the mother of AJ.
CHARGE Syndrome is genetic pattern of birth defects that occur in about one in every 10,000 births. Children with CHARGE Syndrome may experience blindness, deafness, heart defects, learning disabilities, atresia and hormonal issues. AJ experiences varying degrees of all of these symptoms.
To grant AJ’s wish, more than 10 volunteers from Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire and Edwards Lifesciences, the global leader in the science of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring, based in Irvine, California, built a complete playground in AJ’s backyard on Tuesday, November 26, 2013.
"Edwards Lifesciences has supported the tremendous efforts of Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire for many years,” stated Amanda Fowler, Executive Director, Global Corporate Giving for Edwards Lifesciences. "When we learned about AJ, and the challenges he faces with his aortic and mitral valves, and CHARGE syndrome, we knew we needed to be a part of making AJ’s wish come true.”
In 2004, Edwards established The Edwards Lifesciences Fund to improve the quality of life for patients and support the communities where its employees live and work all around the world.
"I’m touched, moved and inspired by AJ, his family, and the people at Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire and Edwards Lifesciences,” noted Adam Pick, founder of HeartValveSurgery.com. "We hope this new video effectively shares the joy of AJ’s wish to our global community of patients, their families and friends.”
To watch "AJ's Wish Comes True", click here.
About HeartValveSurgery.com
Founded by Adam Pick, a former patient, in 2006, HeartValveSurgery.com educates and empowers patients with valve disease. This unique website includes a social network, a surgeon finder, a valve clinic directory, an interactive blog, an educational library, and a book.
During 2012, HeartValveSurgery.com received over one million visits. To learn more, please visit HeartValveSurgery.com.
Contact information:
Contact HeartValveSurgery.com:
Robyn Podell, Director of Communications
(310) 721-0587
robyn(at)heartvalvesurgery(dot)com
Robyn Podell, Heart Valve Interactive Corp., +1 (310) 721-0587, [email protected]
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