$1.40 on the 14th

At 9 days old, their son had his first open heart surgery and now at age 8, he has averaged a surgery a year.  I cannot imagine a life of doctors' appointments and nose bleeds and procedures and being on a first name basis with the staff at Children's Medical Center, but it is their life, so I don't have to imagine it; it's real.

- Read more of that story here.

That was from a post that was originally published on July 11, 2011.
Much has happened between then and now, most notably that Anthony has seen two more birthdays and he has been listed on the Organ Transplant Registry.

Today, Valentine's Day, is the last day of Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week, or as I like to call it "Congenital Heart Opportunity-for-a-Miracle Awareness Week".

And there is no more appropriate day to think about hearts than on Valentine's Day, right? 

It is also the official launch of the fundraising campaign for medical/transplant related expenses in his honor.

The average cost of a heart transplant is around $1,000,000 (yes, I did mean to put all of those zeros there) and the aftercare for medicines alone will be between $3,000 and $5,000 PER MONTH!  That's where COTA (Children's Organ Transplant Association) comes into play.  

COTA is a national 501(c)3 charitable organization whose mission is to help children and young adults who need life-saving transplants by providing fundraising assistance and family support.

It was a big decision for the Herman family to ask for help.  But in the end, they decided that they needed to do whatever it took to keep their child alive and "Anything for Anthony" became their battle cry.

How can you help?

1.  Pray - This is a precious, precious family and they covet your prayers

2.  Donate - Any amount would be fabulous and it is tax deductible

3.  Share - Please share Anthony's story with your friends on Facebook, your real life friends, your blog readers, your postman, everyone!

If everyone who sees his story donated $1.40 they would reach the goal in no time!

So often we are asked to give to a huge faceless charity that does great things that we never see.  This isn't like that.  

See that smiling face up there?  That is the face of the life you are helping save.  

I see that sweet face every week and hope to continue to see him for a very long time.  

Our family stands alongside the Herman family, hand-in-hand in support shouting, "Anything for Anthony!"

Here is a video that Diva made as her contribution (make sure your speakers are on.)