Riggs's Story

“Every surgery, every milestone, every smile — Riggs teaches us what strength really means.”

Riggs arrived in November 2012 by emergency cesarean section and was immediately airlifted to a hospital equipped to handle his complex needs. He was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome — a condition that would require three open-heart surgeries before he could even start school.

Along with his heart condition came a cascade of other challenges: failure to thrive, feeding difficulties, nystagmus, hypermobile joints, and significant developmental delays. In 2017, whole exome sequencing finally gave his family the answer they had been searching for — ZTTK syndrome.

Today, Riggs uses a G-tube for nutrition and communicates nonverbally in ways his family and school team understand deeply. He walks, attends a special education classroom, and continues to surprise everyone with his determination. His family considers every small victory a celebration.