MONCLOVA, Ohio — After losing their infant son, Carson, to a congenital heart defect three months after he was born, Josh and Jackie Ramey knew they had to help other families who faced similar issues.
So, they started the Carson Ramey Foundation to provide support items to hospitals.
The Rameys only had three months with Carson, who was born with a heart condition called hypo-plastic right heart, which means the right side of his heart didn't develop properly.
Congenital heart defects like Carson's are the most common birth defect in the world. According to Conquering CHD, a group that advocates for CHD awareness, one in 100 people are diagnosed with it.
But Carson's parents said they don't remember him for his diagnosis. They remember him as their little peanut.
"His eyes definitely caught people, big blue eyes," Jackie said. "They would make fun of his peach-fuzz hair."
Carson had his first open heart surgery at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor just days after he was born.
"From there, he ended up having three open-heart surgeries due to complications," Jackie said. "He was on life support, or ECMO, three times. Then, unfortunately, eventually, he passed away."
But that pain from losing their first and only child formed a new passion with Carson in mind and they dedicated themselves to honoring him through the foundation.
"Once we got a grasp of what was going on what was going on we definitely needed to do something to keep his memory alive and help the community and the people who helped us out while we were up there,"Josh said.
And he really liked what's called a weighted frog positioner, which is similar to a weighted blanket for newborns in the NICU.
Support items like the weighted frog positioner are what the Rameys hope to provide for others through their foundation.
"Primarily for (Carson), it helped make sure he didn't get his little arms out and pull out his ventilator tubes or IVs," Jackie said.
Josh said Carson would reach for the tubes "any chance he got."
The Rameys said the foundation is starting with delivering the positioners to C.S. Motts, but the goal is to expand and get them into as many hospitals in the area as possible.
The family will be making the first delivery of the weighted frog positioners on August 10, which they said would have been Carson's second birthday.