Ethan Lindberg
Hello!
We founded the Ethan M. Lindberg Foundation out of our family’s journey through the impossible—the challenges of raising children with complex medical needs, navigating an overwhelming healthcare system and facing unimaginable loss.
We have four sons. Our oldest son, Ethan, was born in 2005 with Hypo Plastic Left Heart Syndrome, a rare congenital heart defect. He was an amazing, full-of-life boy who loved music and his family. We spent a collective two years in the hospital with him. Most of this time was spent in a hospital 1,000 miles from home. Ethan died when he was seven, needing a heart transplant he was unable to receive. Two years later, in 2014, our fourth son, Bodey, was born with a rare, complex illness called Muscle Eye Brain Disease.
For nearly twenty years, we’ve lived in the trenches of raising and loving our four boys, knowing intimately the way a child’s illness and disability impact a family. It’s a tremendous privilege and gift to live this story, and it’s also very challenging.
Through our experiences, we’ve seen firsthand what families like ours endure—the financial strain, emotional exhaustion, and relentless perseverance required to give their children the best possible care. So, we stepped in to fill in gaps and support families like ours.
But over time, we realized something deeper.
The families we served weren’t just struggling; they were showing extraordinary resilience. They were living proof of perseverance, grit, and courage. And their strength wasn’t just for them—it was something the world needed to see.
This realization led to Heart Strong—not just a phrase, but a way of life and now a movement. It’s the belief that hardship doesn’t define us; our response does.
Today, the Ethan Lindberg Foundation continues to support families, while Heart Strong invites everyone—parents, athletes, leaders, students—to embrace resilience and turn adversity into action.
Ethan Lindberg Foundation is where the work happens.
Heart Strong is how we live.Thanks for stopping by,
Jessica and Erik Lindberg
The Original Heart Strong Story:
One day, I was sitting in a coffee shop thinking about what I had learned most on this journey, and I wrote “Heart Strong” on a napkin. I had learned to be Heart Strong - invited to grow through my challenges, find out what I’m made of, and continue to learn more about who I am and what I am here to do because of my story and experiences. Shortly after came the Heart Strong Questions that I want to keep answering in my life:
We all face challenges.
The questions are:
Who will we become?
What will we create?
Where will we help?
How will we inspire?
My greatest hope is that people will look at the life I create from my story and experiences and say, “If she can do it, I can, too.”
You can learn more about Jessica and the work she does here.
