Meet the Founder

Amun's Heart was created to honor my son Amun but it is also based on my own personal experience as a parent having to deal with an critically ill child. While in the hospital, I realized that life does not stop because your child is sick. Bills still need to be paid, mortgage/rent is still due, and if you have other children, they still have to be provided and cared for. 

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Amun's recovery from his open heart surgery was extensive because his lung collapsed and did not recover. It was about 3 months before Amun was able to come home. During that 3 months, my family spent a lot time at the Ronald McDonald House when a room was available. While it was a blessing to be able to stay close to our son while he was in the hospital, one thing that the RMH did not offer was childcare, so it was very rare for my ex and myself to be with Amun at the same time. Majority of the time, he stayed with our other children while I stayed by Amun's side. 

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I went on maternity leave a couple weeks before giving birth to Amun. Because of his short  life expectancy (4 hours), the plan was to go back to work after my maternity leave which was 8 weeks at the time. If you read Amun's story on our home page, you will see that he had his first surgery at about 7 weeks. In other words,  I did not go back to work as expected. I actually ended up quitting my job so I could care for my son. As Amun got better, around about 10 months,  I went back to work. 2 months later, Amun went back into the hospital. 

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Going back to work was my biggest regret. When Amun went back into the hospital, I kept working because we needed the money. I tried as best as I could to be with him but I was exhausted from going back and forth between the hospital and work. During one of his final moments, I'd just gotten off work and called his dad who was at the hospital with him. While on the phone, Amun was cooing and babling, like a normal. So I got off of the phone and went home to get a change of clothes before heading to the Hospital. When I got to the hospital, his status changed. His vitals keep going up and down. I held him until he fell asleep and went to the Ronald McDonald House to shower and change clothes before going back to spend the night at the hospital. I don't remember how but I feel asleep. When I woke up, I had several missed calls from the hospital. Amun's condition took a turn for the worse and they had to put him in an induced coma. All I could think about was how he was alone.  He remained in a coma for a couple weeks, during that time I worked. Still visiting in the day and spending time with him at night. 

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One morning as I was headed to work from the RMH, I heard a voice tell me to go check on him. When I walked of the elevator unto his floor, I heard sirens of a machine going off. As I turn the corner to his room, I seen that he was coding. There were several doctors and nurses around him. I'd gotten there just in time to hold him before he took his last breathe.  A moment I will never forget.The next day, I went to work. I planned his services while going to work each day, because I had to. 

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I created this foundation because I know what is like to be a parent caring for critically ill child. I know what it is like to worry about bills. I know what it is like having to rebuild after such a tragedy. After Amun passed, we were left with $44k in hospital debt, we had to catch up on our rent, car notes, and other bills that fell behind solely because our son was born with half of a heart. That is a tragedy in itself. 

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Yes, there are other organizations but most organizations raise funds for CHD research not family assistance. That is what we are here for. 

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If you feel lead, please help me ease the financial burden of a family already dealing with a crisis.

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Marcia Hurt

Founder and Director of Amun's Heart

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