Team "Pey"ton it Forward
Team "Peyton it Forward" is walking in honor of Peyton Kirk, our heart angel, who left us way too soon on November1st, 2023 at age 17. Peyton was born in 2006 with ASD, subaortic stenosis, and PDA. She developed complete heart block at 10 months old, following her first open heart surgery. She underwent 3 open heart surgeries, multiple pacemaker surgeries, and several orthopedic surgeries in her short life. Despite all this, Peyton lived her life to its absolute fullest! She loved to swim, cheerlead, and watch her favorite sports team, the Chicago Cubbies! She was an excellent student as well. She was part of the National Honor Society and served as vice president of the Sign Language club at her school. She aspired to be a speech pathologist after finishing school.
Peyton was an inspiration to all those around her. She was always positive and a role model for so many. She was passionate about advocating for CHD awareness, and did so in many ways. She loved being able to share her story with younger patients, peers, and anywhere else she could tell it to! Team CHD IL meant so much to her, so it only makes sense that we walk in her memory to help raise funds for them. Although we wish more than anything that she was walking with us on May 19th, we know that she will be there in spirit, cheering us on. Lets make her proud and help to fight CHD, the #1 heart defect!
