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On Saturday, April 26, the Joe Reed Memorial Heart Walk – named after the father of current Winchester Mayor JoEllen Reed – will start at 9:30 a.m. at Clark Regional Medical Center, with the event opening at 9:00 a.m. 

To individuals such as Morgan Means, the event holds even more significance. 

Four years ago, Means encountered one of the worst fears imaginable for an expecting mother as she was pregnant with her daughter, Selbie. 

“I found out when I was twenty weeks pregnant at my anatomy scan that something didn’t quite look right with her heart,” Means said. “Over the course of the rest of my…pregnancy I had [echocardiograms] done on her heart…which was a wild experience.” 

Discovering there were challenges that needed to be addressed, doctors at the University of Kentucky took quick action when Selbie was born.

“She underwent her first open heart surgery at sixteen days old,” Means said. “She had to have a pulmonary banding surgery to try to slow some blood flow down.” 

Ultimately, with a hospital stay that exceeded 80 days, Selbie was diagnosed with a complete balanced atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD). 

According to https://www.cdc.gov/heart-defects/about/atrioventricular-septal-defect.html, AVSD “occurs when there are holes between the chambers of the right and left sides of the heart…[i]n people with AVSD, the valves that control blood flow between these chambers may not form correctly.” 

Other challenges were identified as well. 

“Her arteries are not in the correct location that they should be,” Means added. “What a lot of people don’t realize about heart defects is that most times…it affects other organs or other parts of the body as well.” 

Selbie, who also only has one kidney, was fed by a gastronomy tube (g-tube) for two-and-a-half years, underwent physical and speech therapy, and more. 

Yet soon, as the family was learning more in efforts to assist Selbie, a relationship with the American Heart Association developed. 

“They provide materials [like] videos…they also [provided] resources not just for Selbie…but for me and my husband and well,” said Means, noting that toys, blankets, and food vouchers were among many such options.

Over time, not only did the family’s relationship with the American Heart Association continue growing positively, but so did the news. 

“As of right now, they’ve said that her heart repair is holding up well,” Means added. “She is the best case scenario for the type of surgery that she had.” 

While continual care will be provided, doctors remain optimistic. 

Means, a Winchester native, hopes that sharing Selbie’s story with the community and other involvement will help others. 

“To be so young [and] to be so little, she’s one of the bravest people that I know,” she said. 

In working with the American Heart Association, Selbie has already collaborated with others – including Miss Kentucky Teen Mallory Jones – in multiple ways. 

With regard to the Joe Reed Memorial Heart Walk, Means has a unique connection. 

She was a student of Mayor Reed’s during the latter’s tenure as an elementary school teacher. 

“I’ve heard about it in the past, and the funny thing is that you don’t necessarily get involved until something affects you personally,” she said. “We decided that those things were something we were going to participate in [for] the future. It [is] definitely something…we want to be a part of…it’s super important to us.” 

For those who haven’t had the chance to meet Selbie, opportunities still present themselves. 

She’s been seen on a billboard located on N. Main Street promoting the Heart Walk alongside Jones. 

“[We] just try to encourage more people to get involved,” Means said. 

She added that seeing others in the community rally to support Selbie is meaningful. 

“I have said from the very beginning that Selbie’s very loved…she has always been doted on,” Means said, pointing out that many learned of Selbie through Facebook updates. “A lot of people even donated to us when she was in the hospital….just learning how many people care about my child and care about her well being…is something that I can’t explain.” 

She also hopes that others will take action, whether by learning cardiovascular resuscitation (CPR) or other deeds. 

“You never know when heart disease or really anything is going to affect you personally,” Means added. “I never expected when I went to that appointment that I was going to find out my child had a heart defect.”