Sarah Michelle Boes to Lead Meadow’s Mighty Hearts at Cincinnati Heart Walk

CINCINNATI, OH, UNITED STATES, August 7, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Sarah Michelle Boes, nurse practitioner, congenital heart disease advocate, Board President of Every 100th Heart, and author of the children’s book Meadow and Her Four-Leaf Clover Heart, will participate in the Cincinnati Heart Walk on Saturday, August 8, at the Cincinnati Zoo as captain of Meadow’s Mighty Hearts. Following the walk, Boes and her four year old daughter, Meadow, will host a book signing for families attending the event.

The Cincinnati Heart Walk raises funds and awareness for the Children’s Heart Foundation, whose mission is to advance congenital heart defect research. The event brings together children, families, survivors, healthcare professionals, and supporters united by one purpose: improving outcomes for the one in every 100 babies born with a congenital heart defect.

For Boes, the cause is deeply personal.

Her daughter, Meadow, was born with Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia (TOF/PA), a complex congenital heart defect requiring specialized care from birth. Their family’s experience inspired Boes to become one of the nation’s leading voices advocating for increased congenital heart disease research funding while also writing Meadow and Her Four-Leaf Clover Heart to help children and families navigate a CHD diagnosis with hope and understanding.

“Meadow’s future is being rewritten in real time by advancements in medicine,” said Boes. “What used to mean a lifetime of open heart surgeries ahead of her will now, hopefully, mean just one more. She’s only four, and that much has already changed in her first four years of life. Imagine how much more could change if people understood that CHD is a problem worth funding. It’s the most common birth defect, one in every 100 births, and yet it remains the least funded. That’s why we walk.”

The event highlights both the progress that has been made in congenital heart disease treatment and the significant funding gap that remains. Although congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect in the United States, affecting approximately one in every 100 births, research funding has historically lagged behind that of many less prevalent conditions.

Boes has dedicated her advocacy to changing that reality. In addition to serving as Board President of Every 100th Heart, a national coalition focused on congenital heart disease awareness and policy, she has advocated on Capitol Hill in support of the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act and continues working to elevate the voices of families impacted by CHD.

The Cincinnati Heart Walk also provides an opportunity for Boes to connect directly with families through a signing of Meadow and Her Four-Leaf Clover Heart. Written from lived experience, the book helps children understand congenital heart disease while offering encouragement to families navigating similar journeys.

Beyond her advocacy work, Boes is the founder of Cosmic Capacity, where she helps individuals embrace resilience and purposeful living through speaking, coaching, and education. She is also completing her forthcoming memoir, Every Hundredth Heart, which chronicles her family’s journey through congenital heart disease while exploring the broader movement to improve awareness, research funding, and patient outcomes nationwide.

Brielle Cotterman
Influential Leader Agency
+1 7657760492
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