During their 20-week anatomy scan, Kasee and David received news that their unborn son’s heart was “very special.” Baby Easton had hypoplastic right heart syndrome (HRHS) and tricuspid atresia—rare congenital heart defects where the right side of the heart, particularly the right ventricle and tricuspid valve, are underdeveloped. In children with HRHS, the heart cannot adequately pump blood to the lungs, so the body does not receive enough oxygenated blood.

“I lost it,” recalled Kasee. “I literally just sat and cried. I couldn’t talk. I didn’t know what questions to ask. I was numb… just numb.”

The remainder of Kasee’s pregnancy was considered very high risk. She had weekly appointments, stress tests, and ultrasounds at the St. Louis Fetal Care Institute and the Dorothy and Larry Dallas Heart Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. There is no cure for HRHS, and Easton would need a three-stage series of surgical procedures to help his heart function. These surgeries would reroute blood flow within his heart so the left ventricle could do the work for the underdeveloped right side—each operation spaced over his first few years of life.

“I had heart surgery at Cardinal Glennon when I was one year old to fix my pulmonary valve. I knew we were in the right place,” said Kasee.

Despite a smooth delivery at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital and a healthy birth weight of 9 pounds 9 ounces, Easton required immediate life-saving intervention. The transport team from Cardinal Glennon brought him by ambulance to the Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. David followed behind in his car, and soon after, Kasee discharged herself so she could be by Easton’s side.

Those first days were anything but typical. “There were breathing tubes, feeding tubes, central lines, umbilical lines, medicated drips, echocardiograms, and multiple tests—things I never needed to learn about with my other two children,” said Kasee. “He had his first open-heart surgery—the Norwood procedure—when he was only 8 days old. The goal of that surgery was to place a central shunt. He got through the surgery and initially did really well, but not long after that, Easton began experiencing many complications.”

Kasee and David will never forget the night things took a terrifying turn. “We got a phone call at 3 a.m. while we were home caring for our other two children,” said Kasee. “The cardiologist called to tell us that Easton had gone into cardiac arrest and was placed on ECMO—a life-saving procedure that temporarily takes over the work of the heart and lungs. We were told the unthinkable—that we should come back immediately, possibly to say goodbye to our son.”

They rushed to the hospital, hearts pounding. Easton had been without oxygen for 7–10 minutes, which caused neurological injury to a small part of his brain. “He stayed on ECMO for a little over a week, and as time passed, he got better and better,” Kasee said. “Miraculously, he was able to go home with us.”

On July 1, 2021, Easton had his second open-heart surgery, the Glenn procedure. The surgery went well, and he was home within three days. For the next two years, he stayed out of the hospital and focused on being a kid.

Just before New Year’s Eve 2024, Easton got sick with walking pneumonia and RSV. After his oxygen levels dropped, he was taken by ambulance back to Cardinal Glennon. Tests revealed his heart was no longer squeezing or functioning correctly. Despite medications and close monitoring, his heart became weaker. His third open-heart surgery was no longer an option, and he was placed on the heart transplant list.

On February 12, 2025, Easton suffered cardiac arrest four or five times and was placed on ECMO again. His family had him baptized, and the next day, doctors attempted his third open-heart surgery—the Fontan procedure—and placed a ventricular assist device (VAD). This mechanical pump supports heart function and blood flow while waiting for a transplant. Easton remained in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) after surgery and would need to stay there until a donor heart became available.

Over the following months, there were many ups and downs, but Enie’s resilience never wavered. Living in Foley, Missouri, the family made huge life adjustments to stay close. David began working at Cardinal Glennon in the security department, and Kasee’s sister stepped in to care for their older children, Jackson (12) and Charleigh (7). Kasee and David lived at the Mid-America Transplant Family House, a home-away-from-home for families awaiting transplant care in St. Louis. When school resumed, they arranged weekend visits with Jackson and Charleigh at the Family House to keep their family as connected as possible.

Throughout his extended hospital stay, Easton was surrounded by love and support. He adored visits from Scott, his music therapist, and Alyssa, his child life specialist. He worked daily with his physical and occupational therapy teams—taking trips outside whenever possible and staying active on his therapy bike whenever he got the chance.

Then, on the morning of September 8, 2025, everything changed. At 8:51 a.m., Kasee received the call they had prayed for—a new heart had been found for Easton. At that point, he had been listed for 465 days, living with his Berlin heart for 204 days, and hospitalized for more than 243 days.

On September 10, 2025, surgeons Charles Huddleston, MD, Corinne Tan, MD, Andrew Fiore, MD, and Peter Pastuszko, MD performed Easton’s heart transplant. “It was such a long and emotional day, but everything went as smoothly as it could,” Kasee shared. “We couldn’t have asked for a better recovery—he was extubated the next day!”

Easton spent one more week in the PICU before transitioning to the Transitional Care Unit. He worked hard in therapy, regained his appetite, and even had his feeding tube removed. After a heart biopsy on September 25, Easton was discharged on September 29.

The Kieffers are now staying briefly at the Mid-America Transplant Family House before heading home, where Easton will finally reunite with his big brother and sister. After everything he’s endured, Enie’s story is one of courage, faith, and the power of a fighting heart.