RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Perfectly Imperfect Pups in Raleigh took in a litter of eight puppies but never imagined one of them would form a divine connection with their new foster, Alexis.
When PIPs sent out a call for fosters, Alexis responded after seeing it on social media. Without any foreknowledge, two pups were randomly placed with her, including a puppy named Opie. At a routine vet check-up, the unexpected news came that Opie had a heart murmur and a potential blockage in his pulmonary valve.
The diagnosis was something that Alexis related to all too well.
Thirteen years earlier, Alexis, then a college freshman cheerleader at East Carolina University, faced similar life-changing news. She had been diagnosed with a heart murmur as a baby, but it wasn’t until her freshman year at ECU she learned about the severity of her condition.
“It was homecoming weekend, and I was ready to cheer for the Pirates. But then the phone call came — my valve was leaking severely and I needed heart surgery. Everything went blank after that,” Alexis said.