BATON ROUGE — It's a parent's worst nightmare, seeing their child diagnosed with a serious heart condition.

But it is a reality that exists for thousands of families annually, including a family in Baton Rouge. But thanks to support and cutting-edge medical technology, Everett Gautreau can live a normal life and is set to participate in the Capital Area Heart Walk in April, where dozens of other survivors and their families will participate. 

Gautreau, now 8, spent the first year of his life in and out of hospitals, surrounded by life support machines instead of toys because he was born with a congenital heart defect: a coarctation of the aorta, a narrowing of the aorta that limits blood flow and forces his heart to pump harder. 

His first surgery was when he was 12 days old, and his parents say that there were many days of uncertainty. But they were able to find the support of families also experiencing the same thing, with nearly 40,000 infants born each year with a similar condition.