The Carman family is turning a devastating loss into something positive and hopeful.
In 2021, Declyn Carman was born with atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD), a congenital heart defect where there are holes between the heart's chambers and the valves don't form correctly.
Declyn was a joyful baby who defied odds from the beginning. Despite many medical appointments and hospital stays, the family was optimistic Declyn would recover. Surgery was scheduled to repair the holes in his heart.
But on January 3, 2022, Declyn unexpectedly passed away at the age of three months.
“I like to think there's a reason for everything and trying to find that reason was extremely difficult when I lost Declyn,” said mother Amanda McArthur. “But I knew that I needed to help other parents.”
The idea of turning grief into hope originally came from Declyn’s older siblings, Ryder and Jordyn (who are now 13 and 8 years old respectively), along with Ryder’s friend Grady.
In the summer of 2022, they decided to set up a lemonade stand and donate the proceeds through the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF) to support pediatric cardiology at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) in loving memory of Declyn.
The response from neighbours and the community has been incredible. Now in its fourth year, the Mending Hearts with Declyn Lemonade Stand has raised more than $20,000 to help other children and families facing similar heart-related medical issues.
“It’s surreal,” Amanda said. “Hosting a fundraiser was not something that crossed my mind. So, the fact that it came from Ryder, Jordyn and Grady... it really speaks to the kindness and character of those kids.”
This year’s fundraiser is slated to take part on Saturday, August 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 1018 Old Colony Road in Kingston. Everyone is invited to come out and support the cause by purchasing lemonade, snow cones, baked goods, granola bars or fruit.
“I'm hoping we can raise enough money for (KHSC) to be able to get equipment and training so that when other children come in with these issues, they have a better chance of surviving,” Amanda explained.
For people who can’t attend the event but want to support the family and Declyn’s memory, online donations can be made through the family’s Canada Helps fundraising page.
