“A quiet resilience that is truly remarkable.”
That’s what develops naturally for survivors who have lived with heart conditions since birth, says LaConda Watson, development director for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women initiative in central Arkansas.
“They grow up learning how to advocate for themselves, how to adapt and how to find joy even in the face of medical challenges,” Watson says. “There is a strength in them that is woven into their everyday lives.”
This quiet resilience is one of the reasons AHA is honoring Pulaski Academy senior Emma Grace Bradley at its 2025 Go Red for Women Luncheon this month and featuring her in the Go Red for Women Survivor Gallery.
“Emma Grace’s story is one that immediately touches your heart,” Watson says. “From the moment she was born, she has faced challenges that most of us cannot imagine, and yet, she meets life with joy, determination and a radiant spirit.”
Rhonda and Don Bradley, Emma Grace’s parents, say they were unprepared for the whirlwind of events that took place after her birth in March of 2007. She was immediately flown to the children’s hospital, where she was diagnosed with a cleft mitral valve, an enlarged heart and primary pulmonary hypertension, a combination of congenital heart defects that is extremely rare.
Rhonda says AHA was there from the very beginning, though it was hard to grasp information at first through the shock.
“I can remember the day they came into the room and said, ‘Hi, we’re here with the AHA,’ and they gave me a pamphlet on birth defects and heart defects,” Rhonda recalls. “I said, ‘You must be in the wrong room.’”
She says it suddenly hit her, through the blur, that they were in fact dealing with a heart defect, and AHA was going to walk them through it.
“We’re here from the very beginning for families facing congenital heart conditions,” AHA of Central Arkansas Executive Director Nikki Smith says. “We provide trusted education, connect parents with others who’ve walked this path and offer tools to help manage care at home.”
Through programs like Lifestyle Rx and other partnerships, AHA makes sure all families affected by heart disease have access to needed resources. Its current focus is on training one person in every household in hands-only CPR and expanding rural participation in self-monitored blood pressure programs.
While Emma Grace was too young to remember those traumatic first days, she still faced a childhood with feeding tubes, Thick-It packets and a wagon of medical appliances.
“I didn’t really know any different, so it didn’t seem that weird,” Emma Grace says. “My parents were always very honest with me about my health and what I needed to be aware of.”
Rhonda says doctors prepared them to say goodbye to their baby on many occasions and later warned them she may not ever walk or talk.
Emma Grace has defied those predictions spectacularly, regularly speaking at Model United Nations events, playing sports, heading up an American Sign Language group and volunteering with organizations like the National Charity League, Angels of Hope, Arkansas Foodbank and now AHA.
“[As far as talking goes,] I think I’ve always been a natural at it,” Emma Grace laughs. “I’ve always been a rambler.”
“This girl is a fighter,” Rhonda says. “We knew from the beginning that God had a purpose for her life.”
Emma Grace has advice for other children with birth defects.
“Growing up, I knew I had differences, but don’t let those differences define you,” she says. “Whether it’s looking different or having a medical issue, you can’t change it, so you just have to adapt to it.”
“She is a young woman who embodies hope,” Watson says, “and her story reminds us why we fight for awareness, for research and for every life touched by heart disease.”
Next on Emma Grace’s list of ambitions? College. A junior college trip with 18 of her friends introduced her to different universities and potential careers. She’s still mulling over where she wants to attend, but she currently has her sights set on a fashion marketing degree.
“I’ve gone to Pulaski Academy my whole life, and I love it, but I think it will be fun to meet new people and experience new things,” Emma Grace says.
Though they will miss her greatly, Don and Rhonda know she’s ready, and they look forward to seeing what’s next for their fighter of odds.
“The most beautiful stories can come out of the most dire, difficult circumstances,” Rhonda says. “And if we had stopped one of the many times they told us there wasn’t any hope, we wouldn’t be here. There is always hope.”
“Emma Grace is more than a survivor,” Watson says. “She is a symbol of what it means to live boldly and beautifully, regardless of her odds.”
Go Red for Women Luncheon
Benefiting the American Heart Association
Oct. 16, 10:30 a.m. | Robinson Center
Info: heart.org/centralargored
PHOTOGRAPHY
JASON MASTERS
HAIR & MAKEUP
LORI WENGER
CLOTHING
BARBARA/JEAN