Local Dad Dedicated To Helping Others After Daughter Receives Heart Transplant

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A local dad is using his daughter’s heart transplant journey to spread awareness about  the need for  pediatric heart transplant research. 

Joe Brownlee’s daughter Sophia  was born with a congenital heart defect and had to have two heart transplants – the first when she was less than a year old. 

His daughter’s experience led him to Enduring Hearts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding research to improve the longevity of heart transplants. 

Brownlee is now the CEO of that organization and said the average pediatric heart transplant  lasts less than 20 years and half of those kids don’t  make it to 20.

“That is not a long enough life for these children and we need to find a way to increase the length of how long a heart transplant in kids lasts to improve their ability to engage in life as a child, but also as an adult,” CEO of Enduring Hearts Joe Brownlee said. 

You can donate and learn more about pediatric heart transplants on enduringhearts.org