Sarah Michelle Boes to lead Meadow's Mighty Hearts at Cincinnati Heart Walk

Sarah Michelle Boes will lead Meadow's Mighty Hearts at the Cincinnati Heart Walk on Aug. 8 at the Cincinnati Zoo, pairing a family event with advocacy for congenital heart disease research. The walk spotlights the funding gap facing CHD, the most common birth defect in the U.S., as Boes uses her family's story to push for better outcomes.

Why it matters: - The Cincinnati Heart Walk raises funds and awareness for the Children's Heart Foundation and its mission to advance congenital heart defect research. - The event centers on a condition that affects about one in every 100 babies born and remains underfunded compared with many less common diseases. - Boes' advocacy connects a personal family story to a broader push for more CHD research, policy attention and support for families.

What happened: - Sarah Michelle Boes will participate in the Cincinnati Heart Walk on Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Cincinnati Zoo as captain of Meadow's Mighty Hearts. - Boes will attend as a nurse practitioner, congenital heart disease advocate, Board President of Every 100th Heart and author of Meadow and Her Four-Leaf Clover Heart. - Boes and her 4-year-old daughter, Meadow, will host a book signing for families after the walk.

The details: - Meadow was born with Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia, a complex congenital heart defect that required specialized care from birth. - The family's experience led Boes to advocate for more congenital heart disease research funding and to write a children's book for families facing a CHD diagnosis. - Meadow and Her Four-Leaf Clover Heart is written from lived experience and is meant to help children understand congenital heart disease while offering encouragement. - The Cincinnati Heart Walk brings together children, families, survivors, healthcare professionals and supporters around improving outcomes for children born with congenital heart defects. - Boes has lobbied on Capitol Hill for the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act. - Boes also leads Cosmic Capacity, where she works on resilience and purposeful living through speaking, coaching and education. - Boes is finishing a memoir, Every Hundredth Heart, about her family's journey and the effort to improve awareness, research funding and patient outcomes.

Between the lines: - The walk is both a fundraiser and a public signal that CHD advocacy is moving from a private family experience into organized policy and community action. - Boes' message frames medical progress as real but incomplete, with better treatments not matching the pace of research funding. - The book signing adds a family-facing layer to the event, giving Boes a direct way to reach parents and children dealing with similar diagnoses.

What's next: - Boes is expected to continue her advocacy through Every 100th Heart and related policy efforts. - Her forthcoming memoir, Every Hundredth Heart, will extend the family story and advocacy message to a broader audience. - The Cincinnati Heart Walk will proceed Saturday at the Cincinnati Zoo, followed by the book signing for attending families.