Gabrielle Dinsmore’s Story For parents with a child with heart disease, every day brings fear and challenges, but also joy and laughter. For the child with heart disease, every day brings extra worries from mommy and daddy, but also extra hugs and kisses. Louise and Jeff Dinsmore of Coventry, Rhode Island, were those parents and Gabrielle was their daughter… Gabrielle Dinsmore was born on April 26, 2007, the first child for Louise and Jeff. She was seven weeks early and weighted just 3 pounds, 15 ounces. Louise and Jeff had just a moment to look at their daughter before she was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Just days after her birth, doctors in the neonatal intensive care unit detected a heart murmur and after further examination by Dr. Lloyd Feit, Gabrielle was diagnosed with a congenial heart defect, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, an extreme thickening of the heart wall muscle. Despite such an overwhelming diagnosis, the day Gabrielle was discharged from the NICU was the happiest day of Louise and Jeff’s lives. Like every parent, they drove home as slowly as possible, wondering if she was okay, if she was breathing, if they had enough diapers, clean onesies, the right bottles, and if they had paid enough attention to all that the NICU doctors and nurses had taught them about being parents of a child with a heart defect. At one year of age in May of 2008, Gabrielle underwent two open heart surgeries at Children’s Hospital Boston, MA, to address aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation. She required a third open heart surgery in December of 2008 to address aortic regurgitation, mitral stenosis and mitral regurgitation. She later developed pulmonary hypertension and Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrome. Gabrielle underwent a fourth surgery to insert a G-Tube into her stomach, to ensure that she was getting the proper nutrition, as she refused to eat food shortly after her third open heart surgery. Though their days were filled with worries, medications, numerous doctor appointments, vigilance against every-day childhood colds and coughs, Louise and Jeff were determined to make sure Gabrielle had the most normal childhood possible. They took her to the beach, celebrated every holiday and birthday surrounded family and friends, found playgrounds with swings and balls to kick. Dora The Explorer was probably her best friend and she was obsessed with the ladybugs that migrated to her bathroom. Gabrielle would often look for the ladybugs and say "Mommy - there they are!!" She was a beautiful little girl with a ready smile, beautiful long, dark hair, and a sparkle in her eyes. On March 30, 2010, doctors at Boston Children's Hospital informed the Dinsmore's the Gabrielle would soon pass and it was only a matter of time. That night, Louise asked Gabrielle to send her a sign that she made it to Heaven. On March 31, 2010, as a result of complications from heart disease, Gabrielle passed away at Children's Hospital Boston. When the Dinsmore's returned to their home that evening, there was one ladybug in their bathroom - the sign that Gabrielle made it to Heaven. She is now a "Heart Angel". The Gabrielle Dinsmore Heart & Hope Fund Congenital heart defects is the number one birth defect of children born today. One out of every 100 children born has some type of heart defect, ranging from mild, to severe, to life-threatening. In addition, other children are affected by acquired heart problems, such as cardiomyopathy and Kawasaki disease The reality behind the statistics is the impact congenital heart defects have on the individual child and the entire family. While medical science has greatly advanced the diagnosis and treatment for children with these defects, the family must learn to deal with years of possible hospitalization and surgeries, expensive medication, vigilance from childhood common illnesses, and unrelenting fear for the parents and the child. Jeff and Louise Dinsmore realized shortly after Gabrielle's passing that her short life held profound meaning - that her life had a unique purpose - that purpose was to give them the strength to move forward to help other children in their community in Gabrielle's name and memory. The Dinsmore's turned their grief into hope - offering hope to children and families coping with similar issues they faced when Gabrielle was alive. To that end, they founded The Gabrielle Dinsmore Heart & Hope Fund in January of 2011. The mission of The Gabrielle Dinsmore Heart and Hope Fund, a 501c3 charitable organization, is to provide direct financial assistance, recreational and emotional support to children and families living in New England impacted by heart disease, congenital heart defects and severe feeding issues. The signature program of the Fund is Gabrielle's Heart Camp - the first-ever camp in Rhode Island for children with heart disease and congenital heart defects. Its overarching goal is to help these children and their families learn to manage their condition in a complete way – beyond the diagnosis and treatment – including financial assistance, social work help, nutritional support, and exercise physiology, to provide a complete circle of care. In order to be eligible to receive funds, families and children must reside in Rhode Island, Connecticut or Southeastern Massachusetts . Direct financial support encompasses all aspects of medical treatment, special equipment, therapies or programs partially covered or not covered by medical insurance, and includes assistance for transportation, food, housing and parking needs associated with an extended hospital stay. TriBeCa turned to Songwriter/ Producer friend Irving Washington III, former lead singer of the R&B group PORTRAIT to write a song to tell Gabby's story. Irving then brought in his partner Ben Mesiti and together they created "A Kiss From Heaven" all proceeds will bennifit the Gabrielle Dinsmore Heart & Hope Fund.