Heartbeat Forward · Annual Award
Investing in the futures of young people who have already proven they can survive the impossible.
Each year, Heartbeat Forward awards a financial scholarship to a graduating high school senior in the United States who has lived with congenital heart disease and plans to pursue higher education or vocational training.
But its purpose runs deeper than financial assistance alone. It is meant to send a message to young people living with CHD that their perseverance matters — that the strength it takes to navigate surgeries, hospital visits, and uncertainty is something the world should recognize.
Their future is not defined by the condition they were born with.
Applicant must be a U.S. high school senior living with congenital heart disease.
Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. We recognize that CHD journeys are not always linear.
Plans to pursue higher education or vocational training following graduation.
There is a moment that many families living with congenital heart disease know well. It often comes late at night in a hospital room, or in the quiet of a waiting area outside an operating theater. The machines hum softly. The lights are dim. A parent sits beside their child and watches the rise and fall of their chest, measuring time in breaths rather than minutes.
In those moments the future feels fragile. Every hope is focused on one simple prayer. Let them live. Let them grow. Let them have the chance to become whoever they were meant to be.
There is a quiet resilience that lives inside many people who grow up with congenital heart disease. It shows itself in ways that are easy to miss. In determination. In empathy. In a deep appreciation for life that is often hard won.
Children born with congenital heart disease fight battles most people never see. Many undergo surgeries before they are old enough to speak. They learn the language of hospitals before they learn the language of playgrounds. They miss school for appointments. They navigate fatigue and recovery while trying to keep up with the ordinary rhythms of childhood.
And yet they keep going.
When these young people reach their senior year of high school, they stand at a remarkable threshold. They are not only students preparing for college or vocational training. They are survivors who have already faced challenges that would overwhelm many adults.
They deserve to be seen.
This scholarship is also the beginning of something I hope will grow. As Heartbeat Forward continues its work, my vision is that this program will expand to support more students each year and to create a lasting tradition of investing in the futures of congenital heart disease survivors.
I hope that every year when we select a scholarship recipient we will see something powerful reflected in their words. Not just the hardship they have faced, but the life they are determined to build.
— Adrian Adair, Founder
Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect, yet it often remains invisible in public conversation. Behind that lack of awareness are millions of children and adults quietly carrying extraordinary stories.
The Heartbeat Forward Scholarship is one small way of honoring those stories — and investing in the futures they deserve.
To learn more about the program or to apply, visit Heartbeat Forward.
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