Hello, my name is Christine. I have a teenage son who was born with congenital heart defects. His name is Halston and he is 19 years old. Currently he is in severe end-stage heart failure and needing a heart transplant. His heart defects are: complete heart block, pacemaker, VSD, sub-pulmonic stenosis, l-transposition, artificial mitral valve. He had open heart surgery at the age of 6 to correct the VSD and put in an artificial valve. In 1991 he began to have episodes of v-tach and was started on an anti-arrhythmic medicine. This past year he began to get very weak and in October was told he was in severe heart failure and needed a transplant. Right around that time he started not being able to eat and was diagnosed with an eating disorder. His weight got down to 84 pounds. Right now he is doing well in his treatment and is still being monitored by the cardiologists. His weight is up to 116 pounds. The doctors want him to maintain his weight for a few months before they put him back on the active transplant list.

Halston is a wonderful, intelligent, loving young man. He has many plans and hopes for the future. Getting to his goal weight range and getting back on the transplant list is his major goal. He wants to be able to finish college, get his pilot's license, and build airplanes. He is a wonderful person and has more strength and courage than I know I have. He has battled all of this with strength and dignity.