How do you build a nonprofit while working 60-hour weeks and raising a baby with HLHS?

In Part 2, Connor Hill breaks down exactly what Stronger Hearts Foundation has accomplished in just a few months — from hitting their $20,000 goal by October to delivering 30 care packages CHOP, with expansion to Johns Hopkins already underway. We get into the real numbers, the real hours, and why a clinical coordinator at Hopkins straight up called him crazy.

We also talk about the teamwork it takes — both at home with his wife Kali and within the foundation — and why having patients and parents as advocates alongside medical professionals makes such a difference.

Connor closes with one of the most powerful answers I've heard to "What does CHD mean to you?" — and it's worth sticking around for.

Learn more about Stronger Hearts Foundation: http://strongerheartsfoundation.com/

Contacts: The 1% Heart — onepercentheart.com • Instagram @theCHDpodcast • Email: support@onepercentheart.com

Disclaimer & Trigger Warning: Nothing in this episode constitutes medical advice. These are personal experiences, opinions, and stories. This podcast contains honest discussions of medical trauma. Listener discretion is advised.

Keywords: congenital heart defects, Stronger Hearts Foundation, HLHS, CHD nonprofit, CHOP, Johns Hopkins, parent advocacy, CHD awareness

What happens when your child's heart diagnosis becomes the catalyst for helping hundreds of other families?

Connor Hill, co-founder of the Stronger Hearts Foundation, joins the show to share his family's journey with CHD — from the terrifying early days with their son Dawson to creating an organization that provides care packages, housing support, and resources for families navigating the same path.

In Part 1, we talk about Dawson's incredible progress, the gut-check moments that inspired the foundation, and the real challenges families face during extended hospital stays. Connor gets honest about navigating medical emergencies and the toll it takes on everyone involved.

Stay tuned for Part 2 — where we dig into relationships, communication, and how couples can either break or grow stronger through the CHD journey.

Learn more about Stronger Hearts Foundation: http://strongerheartsfoundation.com/

Contacts: The 1% Heart — onepercentheart.com • Instagram @theCHDpodcast • Email: support@onepercentheart.com

Disclaimer & Trigger Warning: Nothing in this episode constitutes medical advice. These are personal experiences, opinions, and stories. This podcast contains honest discussions of medical trauma. Listener discretion is advised.

Keywords: congenital heart defects, Stronger Hearts Foundation, NICU, parenting, CHD family support, heart surgery, CHD awareness

The ripple effects of one 1952 surgery are still being felt today. In this final part, we explore the awareness gap that leaves thousands of CHD patients without proper care, the difference between congenital and acquired heart disease that even doctors confuse, and why Bill has spent years making sure other patients don't fall through the cracks.

Bill reflects on what CHD means to him after 73 years, Dr. Taussig's work that made his life possible, and his mother's wisdom that shaped everything: "You're different, but you're not special."

This episode is about the legacy of Blalock, Taussig, and Thomas - not just in medical journals, but in every patient who gets to grow up because of what they pioneered.

Keywords: CHD awareness, congenital heart legacy, patient advocacy, adult congenital heart care, Blalock-Taussig-Thomas, living with heart defects, cardiac patient stories