Matthew and Jaclyn live in Cleveland, Georgia with their boys Coleman and Tucker. 12 years ago, on April 22nd Matthew and Jaclyn welcomed their handsome baby boy Coleman into the world not knowing what the future would hold. Coleman was born with a single ventricle heart defect along with a variety of other heart defects. He has undergone 2 open heart surgeries; the Glenn and the Fontan in his 12 years of life.
Coleman is your typical 12-year-old boy, bouncing around the house slapping the doorways and losing his schoolwork. You would never guess that he lives with a single ventricle and that he was diagnosed with heart failure 2 years ago. This shocked the Tolar family because he had no change in symptoms. Today Coleman sees the Advanced Heart Therapy Team every few months and is taking several medications.
He is a natural athlete and shows CHD who is in charge. While his heart may limit him, he enjoys playing basketball, golf, and running. Coleman recognizes his anxiety about his health and will openly talk about his half a heart to anyone that asks. As he has grown, he has become more self-aware with his limitations, when he needs rest and has become his own advocate at his appointments.
“We love HeartWorks because they are making a real direct impact in the CHD world and actively seeking improvements. As a family we have attended the Virtual Dinner for the past 2 years and love to see inside the lab and hear all the updates from the team. We see HeartWorks and know there is HOPE for Coleman and the millions of people who live with a single ventricle like him. We are committed to helping HeartWorks by sharing our story.”
~ Jaclyn Tolar