Her husband, Don, had recently come home from work struggling to breathe. His heart was failing. Extensive tests revealed he was suffering from viral cardiomyopathy, a rare disease that’s extremely hard to diagnose, one that impaired his heart’s ability to pump blood throughout his body.
Even with a successful transplant, specialists gave Don just a few months to live. So the family, which included 18-month-old Julianne, and would soon include a baby boy they’d call Donald Jr., planned for the worst.
Yet the worst didn’t come.
Don surprised everyone by making it through the next year.