ABOUT US | HHC

President- Rose Hurley

Photo by Mark Burrows

Rose Hurley knows first hand how stressful it is to have a child with a congenital heart defect (CHD); her son was diagnosed at 2 days old with a coarctation. That night, her son was given a shot to keep his patent foramen ovale open and airlifted to Children’s Hospital Colorado. The following morning, he had his first heart surgery to repair the narrowing of his aorta. His was an extreme case, so they had to use his subclavian flap as well as a synthetic material called CoreMatrix. The CoreMatrix allowed his cells to attach and grow with his heart, as opposed to having stints implanted that would have needed to be replaced periodically throughout his life. When Rose was 20 weeks pregnant with her second child, she met with the cardiologist and discovered that her daughter had a hole in her heart. This diagnosis, paired with her brother’s condition, increased the likelihood that she would be born with a coarctation as well. Luckily the holes closed and she had no other conditions. Rose’s good friend also has a child with a heart condition-she felt fortunate to have someone to lean on who has been in a similar situation. In forming Helping Heart Children, we strive to provide emotional and financial support to all our CHD families so they don’t have to carry the burden alone.

Vice President- Emily Greener

Emily Cool Greener is passionate about supporting families of children with congenital heart defects. Her son was prenatally diagnosed with a vascular ring (right aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery and Kommerell diverticulum) and a ventricular septal defect (VSD), which required surgical repair when he was 6 months old. After living with the deep anxiety of this prenatal diagnosis, experiencing the trauma of watching her infant undergo invasive surgery, navigating the complications of staying in the Ronald McDonald House, and walking through unforeseen medical complications and a prolonged recovery process, Emily has a desire to support other families in times of need. Her son is now a thriving 4-year-old, but Emily also knows the ongoing stressors of parenting a child with unique health concerns. With a background in grant writing and nonprofit administration, Emily brings both her personal and professional experiences to support the mission of Helping Heart Children.

Treasurer- Julia Krelovich

Julia Krelovich always knew she wanted to help others dealing with CHD, and was thrilled when the opportunity presented itself to work with Helping Heart Children. Julia’s heart journey began at a young age. Around age 4, she would tell her parents that her “back was beating.” What she was experiencing was chest pain and regurgitation (blood flowing the wrong way) in her heart. She was then diagnosed with aortic stenosis. Most of Julia’s childhood was pretty normal, she was active with volleyball, softball and basketball and was always able to keep up. The real trouble started when she got pregnant with her first child; her bicuspid valve had a hard time keeping up with the extra volume of blood. Things settled for a while, her “level” had changed from mild to moderate at this point, and she knew that open-heart surgery could be in her future. She got pregnant with her second child and again, her bicuspid valve had a hard time keeping up. This round was much harder on her body. She fainted often and suffered chest pain and extreme fatigue. She also had an aneurysm so large it was about to burst open. On December 5, 2018, Julia went in for open-heart surgery to replace her aortic valve and aneurysm repair. She is now feeling brand new and better than ever! She looks forward to a long healthy life with her two beautiful children, and is excited to be a part of Helping Heart Children and to help other families faced with CHD.

Helping Heart Children Inc.

We are located in Glenwood Springs, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. We currently serve Garfield, Eagle, Pitkin and Mesa Counties in Colorado. Living in the mountains has many benefits, but when you have a cardiac kid there are not many options for care. Travel is a must for surgeries, involving overnight stays and many appointments. The costs for all of these things add up fast. Helping Heart Children is here to support our local families with the associated costs for heart-related care. If you are interested in being a part of our support group, please join our mailing list and include "support group" in the subject line. If you would like to apply for reimbursement, go to the forms link.

Helping Heart Children Inc. selected board members who have been affected by pediatric congenital heart defects. All of the board members are parents, family members or born with CDH. We wanted you to be able to find support and connect with people who understand the challenges associated with CDH. We aim to offer families emotional support as well as financial aid by connecting them with people who can relate. As a parent, having a child(ren) with a heart condition can be very stressful. Helping Heart Children believes that no family should have to face a financial burden in the midst of their child's illness. Please check this website for upcoming events.