Phoebe Hunter Fredner
(Sept. 22-Oct. 19, 2025)

In the summer of 2025, Hannah Hunter received a call from her sister Sarah, who was several months pregnant. Sarah and her husband Erik had just been told that their baby would be born with a rare, complex heart defect. Hannah, who prior to her graduate studies had been part of Heart to Heart’s office team for nearly five years, immediately reached out to ask us if we could review the fetal echocardiograms and clinical reports, to offer a second opinion. Sarah and Erik arranged for us to access these records, and our cardiac specialists were able to provide in-depth information about the baby’s condition and treatment options.

Baby Phoebe was born several weeks premature, weighing 4lbs, 13oz. Phoebe remained in the hospital for 27 days total. Due to changes in her vitals around day 23, the team decided that they had to operate sooner than they had expected. Phoebe underwent open heart surgery on October 17, 2025. Sadly, due to complications, she died in the intensive care unit a few days after her operation.

Sarah and Erik reached out to their community of family and friends suggesting that donations be made to our organization in their baby’s memory. Heart to Heart is honored to be a part of Phoebe’s legacy alongside the Hunter Fredner family. We have been deeply touched by Phoebe’s parents’ incredible strength and selflessness during this immensely difficult time.

Their community’s support of Sarah and Erik’s wishes—to help us help other babies born with heart defects—is a powerful testament to friendship and compassion. Gifts already made in Phoebe’s memory in the months following her death can fund Heart to Heart’s work to save the lives of more than 50 children born with congenital heart defects.

The Hunter Fredner community’s support means a chance at life for children around the world born with heart defects. May Phoebe’s light shine brightly in their hearts as it does in ours.

In March 2026, Heart to Heart dedicated our ninth pediatric cardiac training mission at the National Children’s Hospital in
Costa Rica to Baby Phoebe. Click here to watch a very brief video of the dedication.