JBLM Family Continues To Fight Daughter's Rare Heart Condition

When Alysa Kerbs was born a little more than 10 years ago, her heart was the size of a grapefruit.

The youngest of five children was born with severe congenital dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart is enlarged and weakened to the point it can't pump blood properly. Doctors gave Tyler and Mindy Kerbs' daughter a slim chance at survival. They braced for the worst.

"We had to decide how we wanted to spend the last few moments with our daughter," Mindy Kerbs recalled.

Somehow, little Alysa survived the first day. Then the second. Then the first week. In a month, she was home.

But the family's struggles were far from over.

Her father, Tyler, was trying to support his family on a tow truck driver's salary. He eventually enlisted in the Washington National Guard at Camp Murray about a year after Alysa was born.

However, on one of the first few trips away from his famiy, Alyssa was placed in an intensive care unit for two weeks because of a drug-induced hepatitis.

To add to their problems, the family later lost their home because Tyler couldn't find work. So, he enlisted in the Army full time, and the family was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The whole time, Alysa continued to survive and grow.

The family's connection to JBLM is a blessing, Mindy Kerbs says, as she and her husband began volunteering with the base's Exceptional Family Member Progam, which allowed them to meet other families of children with special needs.

"There are so many kids on this post," said Mindy Kerbs, who lives in Spanaway. "Everyone we meet we fall in love with. Because of our child, we've been able to help so many other families."

But just tending to Alysa's needs is grueling itself. Every month, the family must drive to Northern California for special treatments for their daughter. The Army's medical insurance covers about half of the travel cost. To help cover the rest, the family has started a fund-raiser web page. (Click here to be directed to it)

Alysa herself continues to fight. She's on the waiting list for a heart transplant, but until then, life isn't easy for a child with such a severe condition.

She has her difficult and painful and draining days.

"She wears out," her mother says. "How difficult is it when you are a kid, when you want to have fun and can’t keep up? It's tough."

But Alysa also has days when she's playing with her mermaid Barbie dolls, or watching "The Lorax" with her family or eating nachos just the way she likes it: everything on it but salsa.

"Since she was born, we’ve always had this anticipation that she wouldn’t be around," Mindy Kerbs says. "But she keeps fighting. She's our hero."

On Feb. 4, Alysa celebrated her birthday. It was a big deal, given everything she and her family have had to fight for.

These days, when people talk about the size of her heart, it's usually a good thing.

To learn more about Alysa and her story, visit her Facebook page.

To assist the family financially, visit their fundraiser page.