Bikes & Brews on Saturday to raise money for Congenital Heart Defects research

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — When a Sioux Falls couple had their first child, they didn’t know much about congenital heart conditions, even though they were both nurses. But when they found out their daughter was born with half a heart, they learned very quickly.

We first introduced you to two-year-old Cora in May. The two-year-old was born with half a heart in 2022. It’s a condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. One in 4-thousand babies are born with Cora’s condition. For Cora, running around or riding her bike means her oxygen saturation is about 20 points slower than heart-healthy kids.

“It also means with normal activity, she gets tired more easily, she gets out of breath, she will be a little blue at times, said Cora’s mother, Allison.

Spend time around Cora; she seems like any other two-year-old.

“Cora’s fun, she’s energetic, said her dad Anthony. “She loves going biking, that’s why we are doing this event, she loves to play and you’d never know she only has half of a heart at this point when you look at her.”

The Millars want the best for their daughter and are the driving force behind tomorrow’s fundraiser, “Bikes and Brews.” The idea is to raise money for an organization called Heartworks. The non-profit is trying to recreate heart tissue to someday build up little hearts.

“So Heartworks is taking skin samples and turning them into stem cells and then back into cardiac cells, so cardiac cells beat on their own,” said Allison. “And this would, in theory, create more cardiac tissue, so where Cora has a weakened left side.”

One in a hundred kids are born with a congenital heart defect. Cora’s condition is one of the more serious. Many kids like Cora don’t live into their 30s. That’s why the hope she could live a healthier and longer life and someday take care of her baby sister Naomi is driving the Millars forward.

“So to find something new that’s groundbreaking gives us hope for what Cora’s future might look like, said Allison. “How could we not raise money? We are honored to do that, and hopefully, it doesn’t just help Cora. It helps all of the kids like Cora, too.

On Saturday, June 29th, Bikes and Brews will start at Pasley Park for bike riders at 10 a.m. and at the Queen Bee Mill for walkers at 10:30 a.m. Everyone will meet at Severance Brewing Company downtown for food, drinks, and raffles. Severance is donating one dollar for every beverage purchased.

https://www.facebook.com/events/sioux-falls-sd-united-states-south-dakota/bikes-brews-2024/789214332843085/

https://donate.heartworksinc.org/event/bikes-and-brews-2024/e579446

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