ATLANTA -- Eddie and Christine Ware's daughter Katelyn has become an integral part of a vitally important fundraising effort for the world-renowned Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center. Born with five different congenital heart defects that required two open-heart surgeries to repair, Katelyn is featured in the Cooper Heart Project calendar, the sales of which will directly benefit the Sibley Heart Center.

Ware had a great season on the JEGS ProMod Challenge in his Disturbed Motorsports Firebird, winning his first NHRA race when he captured the crown at his hometown track of Atlanta Dragway. But for all his accomplishments on the racetrack, nothing compares to the joy he experiences every time he looks at his "miracle baby," who is healthy and happy thanks to the exceptional efforts of the Sibley Heart Center medical team.

Katelyn's story is both scary and inspiring. On the ninth day of her life, Christine, a registered nurse, noticed her baby was very lethargic and fussy. Her medical training prompted her to immediately take Katelyn to the hospital where her condition quickly worsened.

Doctors soon diagnosed Katelyn with a defective heart and she was immediately taken by medical helicopter to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta with a warning to her parents that she may not survive the flight. But Katelyn fought for her life, was stabilized, and five days later underwent her first open-heart surgery where three of her five congenital heart defects were successfully repaired.

After a four-month recovery period and some time at home, a five-month-old Katelyn returned to the Sibley Heart Center to undergo a second open-heart procedure that included replacing her aortic valve with a mechanical valve. Everything went well and Katelyn continues to grow and prosper each day.

The photos used in the calendar page devoted to Katelyn show the best and the worst of times. The main photo shows a perfectly healthy Katelyn at 10-and-a-half months of age, while the inset photo portrays Katelyn in her most fragile state.

Calendars can be purchased directly through Christine by calling her at 770-241-7110. The donation is $20 per calendar plus $5 for shipping and handling. For more information on the Cooper Heart Project, visit Cooper Heart Calendar - Calendar Pages.

The March of Dimes reports that congenital heart defects are the No. 1 birth defect in the world, affecting 25,000 babies born each year. That's a rate of 1 in every 115 births. By comparison, 1 out of every 1,000 babies is born with Downs Syndrome.