MEET THE OLSENS

When Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen and his wife Kara, learned their son T.J. would be born with a severe congenital heart defect–hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS)–they faced all the emotion, challenges and decisions that are only known by parents of severely ill children. They instantly committed to giving their child the best chance at life, providing him access to the finest doctors, treatment and technology at Atrium Health’s Levine Children’s Hospital. Because so much of their life revolves around football, they decided to call this phase “The ‘HEARTest’ Yard.”

T.J. was born in October 2012 and underwent his first surgery just days after being born. Like many HLHS babies, he would face 2 more in his first three years of life. After going home from the hospital, the Olsen family soon discovered the need, as well as the benefit, of having in-home nursing care for their fragile son.

As a result of the Olsen Family’s experience, the Greg Olsen Foundation partnered with Atrium Health Foundation to establish The HEARTest Yard Fund. This initiative is a family service program administered in conjunction with Levine Children‘s Hospital, making the transition from the hospital to the home much easier for families of infants affected by congenital heart disease. One of its key focuses will be to prevent complications and re-admissions to the hospital between stages of recovery.

Learn more about Receptions for Research: The Greg Olsen Foundation and The HEARTest Yard Program.