Ryan’s CDH journey began on December 20,2017, after we were referred to OSU Wexner MFM clinic due to an abnormal finding at our 20-week scan at the OB/GYN.

They began to explain to us that Haydn had a congenital diagrammatic hernia and would need a repair. They further explained that given his age, the chances of his survival were 50%. As I attempted to understand everything that was shared with me, I had no words.

Later a Facebook friend of a friend told us her story of her CDH baby and how they found hope through Tiny Hero and a CDH specialist, Dr. Kays, at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital

Once we got to Gainesville the doctor there new exactly what it was. He wrote on a piece of paper, CDH. I had no idea what that even was. He told me it was a 97 percent survival rate but she would need surgery and a long hospital stay.

Our Strong for Penelope supporters and the CDH community have shown us so much love over this past year it is incredibly humbling. Without their support we would not have been able to relocate the 1,861 miles away from home with half of our family in St. Petersburg Florida and the other half in Pierre South Dakota.

When we received the news of the CDH, we were so devastated knowing the journey she would have ahead of herself, but we also were filled with so much hope because we knew that with the right team, she would do great.

Liam is such an extremely loving and happy little boy. Liam ran the CDH Marathon and has continued to overcome obstacles daily!

But in this first year of life, if there is anything Jax has proven, it’s that he is a damn survivor. He has and continues to beat the odds and he proves everyone wrong ALL THE TIME. Watching him succeed has been so humbling, so inspiring, and has encouraged me to have faith in a tiny little human.

Now Rylee is six years old and loving life. She's still feisty, still fighting but doing great. Both lungs have grown, but she is on oxygen 24/7, has severe pulmonary hypertension, and is G-tube fed. None of that stops her from playing sports, running around with other kids, or singing and dancing to her favorite band, AJR! She loves playing baseball and even played in the Miracle League!

Now she is 17 months. She gets her checkups every month with her surgeon, runs around, likes to eat. I am so grateful to have her here with us. She is a blessing. She has gone thru so much but she is strong. We Love our Tiny Hero.

He is almost a year old now only on oxygen at night and 2 of his 4 medicines are being weened down so we are almost at 2 medications a day. I can’t wait to see where my little warrior goes from here!!

Carley is now a wonderful, smart, sweet and caring 6 year old. She is in the 1st grade, she is testing as a 2nd grader, reading and spelling at a 3rd grade level. She plays Softball, does gymnastics, and is a Cheerleader.

Briella was an undiagnosed right sided Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) baby. I had her at 37 weeks and I had her in a small hospital and she was airlifted to Levine’s Children’s Hospital.

Hi everyone. My name is Abigail. I was born with a diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Doctors said I wasn't going to make it. Mom didn't have a baby shower for me until after I was born, just in case. But we had people praying and I started breathing by myself.

You wouldn't know what he has been through looking at him. This kid is the life of the party. He is our survivor, our CDH warrior, our Tiny Hero.

It has been a roller coaster ride for us but never will i regret going on this journey with my warrior. This whole CDH journey has showed me a different perspective of parenting.

I have a 22 year old son who thrived against all odds. He got his private pilots license when he was 17 he was accepted into Rice University with a double major Cognitive Science, Classical Studies in Greek and Latin and a Neuroscience minor.

My hope is to be hope for families who question if their survivors will ever get to be where I'm at now. I hope to connect with other survivors who still question why this had to happen to us & ways we can navigate through the PTSD we experience.

Cay is now 14. He climbs trees, hikes, plays soccer with friends, and really enjoys art. Cay functions normally. For years, he got really sick with frequent respiratory infections and pneumonia but now he is doing much better.

I remember my OB calling me to discuss the results over the phone and trying to prepare me for getting back poor blood results. He said “you are young and can try again for a perfect baby.” This made everything sink in. When I heard my doctor suggest termination, it made me think they would terminate in my shoes, and it immediately sank in how much of a battle my little boy had ahead.