11/19/2025
Help us give a BIG thank you and congratulations to Howard Heller, the top fundraiser of our 2025 TCS New York City Marathon team! 😍👏 Howard ran in honor of his daughter, Noa Gwen Heller. ❤
"From the moment we found out about the diagnosis at my wife's 20 week scan, our lives were changed forever. On March 4th, 2024, my daughter was born with Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA), a congenital heart defect that required immediate medical intervention to save her life called a Balloon Septostomy. She then had an Arterial Switch Operation on March 6th, 2024. Witnessing the amazing care she was given from birth, through to the NICU at NYP, to her surgery, and her recovery, has forever changed me. From the moment of her diagnosis, my family was thrust into the world of congenital heart disease (CHD)—a world filled with uncertainty, immense challenges, and the incredible resilience of heart warriors like my daughter.
Running and fundraising for The Children’s Heart Foundation is deeply personal to me. I have witnessed firsthand the critical importance of CHD research, advanced medical care, and the support networks that help families like mine navigate these difficult journeys. I think of no better use of my time than marrying my passion for athletics/training with a cause that be as deeply personally to me as this one. Not only do I feel like this would be a beautiful way to give back to this great cause, but also a way for me to heal from the tumultuous journey we have been on with Noa so early in her life. I look forward to devoting to an athletic endeavor that will be as fulfilling as this one. Today, Noa is a thriving 1 year old girl who is living a happy, joyful life."
