37. Living with HLHS as an Adult: Mental Health, Clinical Trials and Community with Kelly DiMaggio

In this episode, Kelly DiMaggio joins me to talk about her life living with HLHS. Her mom didn’t receive a prenatal diagnosis. At one point, her doctors gave her 24 hours to live. Nearly four decades later, she's living a full life — married, working in finance, and dedicating her time to moving the CHD community forward. In this conversation, Kelly walks through her early medical history, the mental health weight of being "the strong one" in her family, her role in HeartWorks' groundbreaking stem cell clinical trial, and how she co-founded Project 1 in 100, a community-first movement connecting CHD patients and families across every diagnosis. This episode isn't about the heart defect — it's about the heart future. What's possible. What it looks like to grow up, grow older, and grow into a life this full. - **Connect with Kelly on Instagram:** @KDimaggio1123 - **Project 1 in 100:** @project1in100 **Sponsors & Show Support:** - **Stronger Hearts Foundation:** strongerheartsfoundation.com - **Instagram:** @strongerheartsfoundation - Support Tiny Little Hearts **— 10% of listener proceeds go to Stronger Hearts Foundation** - **Register for the** Co-Op with HeartWorks **Let’s Connect!** - **Follow me on Instagram** @tinylittleheartspodcast - **Follow me on Substack at** Tiny Little Hearts Substack - **This episode was brought to you by the** Pivot Ball Change **Network.** **Keywords: congenital heart disease, hlhs, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, mental health, toxic positivity, chd, heart community, clinical trials, stem cell research** Support the show