The Huffaker family wants to honor Dylan by providing a new apartment for guests receiving medical care in Birmingham. Join us as we work to raise the $12,000 needed to meet this goal.

“Red Mountain Grace is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing gracious housing to out-of-town patients and caregivers during their extended medical stays in Birmingham. Our family knows first-hand what a blessing organizations like Red Mountain Grace are to those facing the trials of distance medical care. Long distance extended medical care can be like a car wreck or engine failure - you don’t know what you might need or how long you may face the dilemma. Red Mountain Grace helps families like ours, to face the unknowable with compassionate care and gracious hospitality. Please allow us to share Dylan’s story with you to help better illustrate what a tremendous service Red Mountain Grace provides to families.

On March 6, 1989, Dylan came into this world. He was born with five major heart defects, including only three chambers instead of four and a pulmonary stenosis, which was a partial blockage in the artery between his heart and lungs. His heart was on the wrong side of his chest, upside down, and it had hole in the top of it. There was little the doctors could do other than some medications until he was three years old, and they didn’t expect him to survive that long. Right after he was born, we had to go to UAB for a more in-depth diagnosis. That was our first trip to Birmingham not knowing where we could stay or how long we would have to stay. While there, Dr. Kirklin informed us that, because of Dylan’s heart makeup and physiology, he was not a candidate for a heart transplant. When he was three, we were able to take him back to UAB for a Fontan procedure. This allowed for high-oxygen flow into the body, which was a severe issue with his heart condition. The procedure allowed Dylan to live a more normal life (as normal as normal could be) for the next several years. His stay in the hospital for that procedure was approximately two months with some very touch and go moments.

Fast forward to 2011… Dylan’s Fontan procedure had done almost all that it could to keep him alive, and his health was failing fast. Twenty-one years removed from Dr. Kirklin’s initial diagnosis, the doctors at UAB now believed that they could indeed provide Dylan with a viable heart transplant. In May of 2011 Dylan was admitted and then on August 14, 2011 underwent a successful heart transplant. Amazingly, the son of Dr. Kirklin successfully performed the surgery. Dylan was also the first person in the world with his condition to receive a heart transplant. He remained in the hospital until December of that year. Dylan’s story is, in our minds, as miraculous a thing as we see on this earth and a product of so many countless answered prayers. Finding and maintaining a place to stay throughout these times was always an ordeal, and our family would like to use the occasion of his passing to perhaps help ease these types of burdens for families in the future who face similar circumstances. On August 5, 2021, Dylan left this earth. Since his transplant, he had been able to, in many ways, live a more normal life than in times past. We are grateful and feel privileged to have had him as a blessing in our lives while we did!

We hope that in sharing his story, we have helped to demonstrate what a huge need organizations like Red Mountain Grace fill for families facing the uncertainties and trials of long distance extended medical procedures. We want to continue to honor Dylan and his story by humbly requesting that, in lieu of flowers, food, or gifts, you please consider donating to this extremely worthy organization in Dylan’s name. May God bless you greatly for what you share!!”

In loving memory,

Scott (father) & Tammy Huffaker, Thomas Owens (grandfather), Robert & Wilma Huffaker (grandparents), Michael & Lena (sister) Vrazel, Kymber Owens (sister), Christian Tyler (brother) & Joy Huffaker, Joseph Huffaker (brother), Lucy Huffaker (sister), and a plethora of Uncles, Aunts, Nephews, Nieces and Cousins.