Fundraiser To Benefit Family Of 5 Year Old With Heart Transplant

DANVERS, MA – Mike and Erica Schultz spent the better part of the last decade adding on to their dream home in Stowe, MA. Now, right after their son Ari received a heart transplant, they have to tear the home down because of a black mold infestation that insurance won't cover.

Friends of the family are holding a fundraiser on Saturday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel in Danvers to help offset the cost of building a new home. The family-friendly fundraiser will have shopping vendors, raffle prizes, a cash bar, music, and more. Admission is free.

Ari was diagnosed with critical aortic stenosis and evolving hypoplastic left heart syndrome at 18 weeks old while still in the womb. He's the first person ever to have had two successful heart surgeries before he was born. A video of Ari finding out that he would get a new heart went viral last month.

"The community support we’ve received is amazing," said Jenn Nagle, one of the event coordinators and a family friend. "Danvers is such a family town, and the Doubletree Hotel was so great."

Fifteen LulaRoe consultants will be at the fundraiser selling men's, women's, and children's clothing. Other vendors include ThirtyOne, Scentsy, TITLE Boxing Club, The Jewelry Bx, Jolie Scott-Hairbows and Accessories, and Windblown Leaf Designs. The proceeds go to the Schultz family.

The family is also the beneficiary for the Greg Hill Foundation through the month of April. Anyone can donate online by following this link.

To follow along with Ari's journey, follow Mike Schultz' blog.

Image via Echo of Hope