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Stay Upbeat: Avon family 'Team Balmert' goes viral as daughter undergoes heart surgery

Team Balmert shares everything from updates on their daughter’s heart defect, to pranking each other for their nearly 400,000 social media followers.

AVON, Ohio — Team Balmert is on a worldwide mission. Their movement? Stay Upbeat. 

It's likely you've seen one of their videos, too. Team Balmert, a family from Avon, is made up of Chris and Lindsay Balmert, and their kids, 2-year-old Ryann, and 5-year-old Gavin.

It started when Ryann was diagnosed with a heart defect. Chris and Lindsay turned to social media for comfort and answers.

Overwhelmed by the response, they made it bigger. Soon, Team Balmert began churning out everything from inspirational messages, to prank wars on their social media pages. 

The public responded. Folks from as far as Australia jumped on the Team Balmert train to watch their viral videos. In just under two years, the Balmert family has acquired nearly 400,000 Facebook followers. 

Chris and Lindsay say it’s all about keeping it real with their following and staying upbeat. That’s what makes people want to tune in.

Most recently, they shared another milestone in Ryann’s journey. She underwent a complicated “double switch” surgery on her heart at University of Michigan’s CS Mott Children’s Hospital. It was a success.

Ryann made an astonishingly quick recovery, returning home to her Avon home just five days after surgery. 

You can follow Team Balmert on Facebook HERE.

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