Aidens Journey

30/08/2026

03/08/2026

Asking for help has never been easy for our family.

We have always worked hard to provide for our children and face challenges together, but this year has brought some of the hardest moments we have ever experienced.

Our sweet son, Aiden, is 3 years old and has been fighting a battle that no child should have to face. He is our brave little heart warrior, and he has already endured more than most people will ever have to experience.

In March, Aiden underwent heart surgery. We went from navigating hospital stays, recovery, appointments, and the overwhelming emotions that come with watching your child go through something so serious. To welcoming our final child into the world, one week after surgery.

We have spent the last several months trying to heal, adjust, and recover financially from everything this year has brought.

Now, we are preparing for another difficult chapter.

At the beginning of October, Aiden will need another heart surgery.

We are incredibly thankful that insurance will cover the surgery itself. We know what a blessing that is. But what many people don’t see are the costs that come with having a child hospitalized and needing to step away from everyday life to be by their side.

The long drives to the hospital.
The gas it takes to get there.
The meals while we sit beside his hospital bed.
The childcare needed for our other children.
The time my husband has to miss work so he can be exactly where he belongs, by Aiden’s side.

As parents, our only priority is Aiden. We want to be beside him before surgery, hold his hand through the scary moments, and be there when he wakes up and begins his recovery.

We never expected to be asking for help, but we have learned that sometimes it takes a village. We are humbly asking for support during this incredibly challenging time.

If you are able to donate, no amount is too small. Every contribution helps take away some of the financial stress and allows us to focus more fully on Aiden’s healing.

If donating is not possible, we completely understand. Sharing our story, praying for Aiden, and helping us reach others means more than we can put into words.

Please pray for Aiden’s surgeons, his medical team, his recovery, and for strength and peace for our family as we walk through this again.

Thank you for loving our son, supporting our family, and reminding us that we are not walking this road alone.

With grateful hearts,
Aiden’s family ❤️

below is an Amazon registry list for Aiden, as well as our Cashapp, and Venmo

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/3NI638VL73OYL?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_ggr-subnav-share_W9X20HEPBSD1HEYK4VSG_2&language=en-US

Cashapp: $JasmineFrankenberger
Venmo: Jasmine-Frankenberger

28/07/2026

We finally got the results back for the heart monitor that Aiden was wearing. There were no constant arrhythmias. But there were a couple random extra beats over the 6 days that he had the monitor on, however they aren’t worried about that.

Aidens cardiologist is going to talk to the surgical team this Friday during their conference to discuss what happens next. Such as when the surgery date will be, and how they’re going to do the repair this time around. All we know is surgery is happening before the end of September. So it’s going to creep up on us pretty quickly.

We are really praying that we have a better outcome this time around and that the repair lasts him several years instead of a couple months.

01/07/2026

Now that we have taken a little time to process everything, I think it’s best we give an update on Aiden. Today definitely didn’t go the way we had prayed it would.

The good news is that after a year on medication, Kinsley’s heart function and pressures have improved. The medication is doing exactly what it was meant to do, and as long as everything continues going well, she’ll only have to stay on it for a few more years before eventually being weaned off. There are no surgeries in her foreseeable future. We are incredibly thankful that her heart function has increased.

The bad news is in regards to Aiden..

When he was discharged after his open heart surgery in March, his tricuspid valve was working beautifully with only minimal leakage. At his four week follow up, the repair still looked good, although they noticed some leakage beginning, and his heart was slightly dilated.

Today, we learned that his tricuspid valve is no longer functioning, it is stuck wide open. The leakage is now severe, and his heart has enlarged almost back to the size it was when he was born.

He left today’s appointment wearing a heart monitor that he’ll have for the next 3 to 4 days. Once the cardiologist reviews the results, we’ll know what the game plan is. If it shows an abnormal heart rhythm, he’ll be admitted to the hospital as soon as possible for surgery. If not, we’re preparing for another open-heart surgery by the end of September.

Just a few months ago, we were told we likely wouldn’t be facing another surgery until Aiden’s teenage years. So hearing that our little boy may need his fourth open heart surgery only months after his last one felt like the ground disappeared beneath us.

We had barely begun recovering emotionally, physically, and financially from March. Just one week after Aiden’s surgery, we welcomed Hudson into the world. Now we’re trying to prepare ourselves to walk back into the hospital again. But this time it’s a little different.

Hudson is here now, but because of hospital policies, he won’t be able to stay with me while Aiden is admitted. I’ll have to be away from him while I am staying with Aiden in the hospital again. That’s a kind of heartbreak I don’t know how to prepare for.

We’re also expecting this recovery to be even more difficult since Aiden is facing another major surgery so soon after his last one.

If you’ve followed Aiden’s journey, you know this little boy has fought for his life since before he ever took his first breath. Yet somehow, he continues to smile, laugh, and show a strength that amazes everyone around him.

As his mom, I wish I could carry this burden for him.
Instead, all I can do is hold his hand, trust his doctors, lean on my faith, and pray that God continues writing Aiden’s story.

If you could keep him in your prayers over the next several weeks, it would mean more than words can express. Please pray for wisdom for his medical team, peace for our family, and most of all, for our sweet boy.

I’ve also put together a small Amazon wish list of comfort items that helped him during his last hospital stay, things to keep him occupied, comforted, and smiling through the hardest days. Please don’t feel any obligation whatsoever. Your prayers, kind words, and simply sharing his story are gifts we’ll always be grateful for. But if your heart leads you to bless Aiden in that way, the list is there.

Thank you for loving our little heart warrior alongside us. ❤️

Amazon Wish List
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/308RVIN8MYNX1?ref_=wl_share

Cashapp:
$JasmineFrankenberger

07/05/2026

We haven’t posted on here in a few years, although we should have. I originally created this page not only to keep family and friends updated, but also to document Aiden’s life and heart journey.

For those who don’t know, at my 20 week pregnancy scan, doctors found an issue with Aiden’s heart. The very next day we were sent to Riley Hospital for Children for an echocardiogram, where Aiden was diagnosed with severe Ebstein’s anomaly, a rare congenital heart defect. He had severe leakage in his tricuspid valve, and over time another valve also began leaking. Instead of blood flowing forward like it should, it was flowing backward, causing the right side of his heart to enlarge drastically.

At 35 weeks, doctors found fluid around his heart. Combined with me already being 3cm dilated, we planned an induction at 37 weeks. We knew he needed to be born at Riley for any chance of survival.

At only 5 hours old, Aiden coded.

Hearing “Code Blue” called overhead while walking back to see him and not knowing if it was your child is something I’ll never forget. Turning the corner and seeing his room overflowing with doctors and nurses was devastating. We were taken into another room while a chaplain prayed with us. Those moments will stay with me forever.

Aiden had his first open-heart surgery at just 12 hours old and spent 5.5 weeks in the CVICU. He came home with a G-tube because his heart became too exhausted for him to safely feed from a bottle.

At 8 months old, he had his second open-heart surgery, which went very well. Then at 2 years old, in October 2024, Aiden finally had his G-tube removed.

This past March 2026, Aiden underwent his third open heart surgery. We were once told this surgery may never even be possible because one of his valves was fused open against the wall of his heart. By the grace of God, over the last 3 years it loosened enough for surgeons to repair it, making the possibility of a heart transplant much less likely.

When Aiden left the hospital after surgery, his leakage was minimal. But at his first post-op echocardiogram, we learned the leakage had already become severe again, and the right side of his heart has started enlarging again as well. Because of this, instead of follow ups every 6 months, he is now being monitored every 2 months.

The moment he begins showing signs of heart failure, we will immediately plan for his fourth open heart surgery. That could happen in weeks, months, or years, we simply don’t know.

Living with the fear that one day I could wake up and he won’t be breathing is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. This journey has left me with trauma and memories that still come rushing back through certain sounds, smells, and moments. A birth that should have been the happiest time of our lives became filled with fear, tears, anxiety, and heartbreak.

But through it all, we are so thankful.

I’m thankful for my mom, who drove me back and forth to the hospital constantly, spent Aiden’s first Christmas with us in the hospital, and answered the phone the moment I called when Aiden coded.

I’m thankful for my husband’s aunt and uncle, who have prayed with and for us through every step of this journey.

And I’m thankful for our neighbor, Bill, who has become like a grandpa to Aiden. The first thing Aiden does every morning is check the back door to see if Bill is outside so they can play together.

God has a purpose for Aiden. He has fought for 3 years to live a happy and somewhat “normal” life, even without fully understanding how serious his condition truly is.

I pray his little body can hold on for a few more years before another surgery. My boy deserves a break.

If you’re the praying type, please keep our sweet boy in your prayers. ❤️