Seven-year-old Arda from Virginia is a bright, determined boy with a quiet strength and a love for getting things done. Like many kids his age, he approaches life with curiosity and resolve. But behind his calm demeanor is a heart that requires extraordinary care, care that lies thousands of miles from home.

Arda was born with a congenital heart defect (CHD), a structural problem in the heart that develops before birth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CHDs are the most common type of birth defect, affecting nearly 1 in every 100 babies born in the United States. While some cases are mild, others, like Arda’s, require specialized surgical intervention and long-term monitoring.

For Arda, that specialized care came from the world-renowned Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford in California. But accessing it from Virginia presented another set of challenges.

“For a long time, I didn’t have any problems,” his mother shares. “Until I needed to buy a plane ticket. If it hadn’t been for Miracle Flights, I don’t know how we would have made it. They made it possible for us to come and go.”

Through two Miracle Flights totaling nearly $4,000 in travel assistance, Arda has received critical surgeries that have already begun to transform his life. With each procedure, his condition continues to improve.

“With every surgery, things are getting better,” his mother says with hope. “Our whole life will change with the next one. Maybe it will be the last.”

To Miracle Flights, Arda’s family says simply and sincerely: “Thanks for everything.”