Fund-raiser slated for ailing mother

2/29/2012

ELMORE -- Kaitlyn Davis struggled to breathe, gasping for air, as she tried to conserve her energy all day so she could play with her children for a few minutes.

"It broke my heart, really," Ms. Davis, 22, said. "I couldn't do anything for my kids."

The young mother of two was diagnosed in December with a type of heart disease that affects pregnant women or those who have just given birth. The condition is Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

To help Ms. Davis and her significant other, Chad Stahl, a local church has planned a fund-raiser from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., Saturday, at the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church outside Elmore. The church is located at 19225 W. Witty Rd.

Ms. Davis said she thought at first that her asthma had flared up after she began experiencing fatigue and was struggling to breathe, even on a short walk in a parking lot.

Since Jan. 27, she has been at the University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio, and was told she may need a heart transplant.

The couple live in Perrysburg Township with their two children, Emilee, 2, and Olivia, 5 months.

Emilee and Olivia have visited their mother often, which has been bittersweet, Ms. Davis said.

"It hurts, but it helps," she said. "I like to see them, but I hate to see them go."