GRAYSON CO., TX - A local child's name was featured at the big Bristol Nascar race in Tennessee Friday night as part of a fundraiser for children with a serious heart defect.

Tucker Hamilton is 11 months old, and seems happy and healthy. The only thing that gives away his heart condition is a huge scar etched across his chest.

"We went from planning his birth invitations to planning his funeral in 24 hours,” said Tucker’s mother, Dena Hamilton.

Tucker was born with a serious heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, or HLHS. It's when the left side of the heart isn't completely developed.

Only 4 out of every 10,000 births have HLHS. It takes a series of three open heart surgeries to repair the heart. At not even one year old, Tucker has survived the first two.

"[We are] very fortunate considering we have friends who through the process we've met other people and their kids haven't made it or their kids aren't doing as well,” said

Unlike many heart conditions, doctors don't know what causes HLHS. So the Hope 4 Tiny Hearts organization is working to raise awareness and funds for research. Trent and Dena Hamilton are fully on board.

"It's very near and dear to our heart, we're very active, we're very involved in doing anything we can to raise awareness and to raise funds for the research,” said Trent.

And also involved is Nascar. At Friday’s race in Bristol, Tennessee, famed driver Kenny Wallace sported the Hope 4Tiny Hearts emblem on his car, along with Tucker's and other names of children who have raised money for the fund during the summer.

"So we're hoping that the longer we can do this and bring attention and awareness to the fund and the research that hopefully we'll find what causes Hypoplastic Left heart and other families won't have to go through what we went through,” said Dena.

The Hamiltons have already raised $500 for the fund this summer through telling Tucker's story, But they hope to double that in the next few months.

"Even in just his 11 months so far he's had quite an impact on us as well as others,” said Dena.

To find out more about Hope 4 Tiny Hearts, visit their website: www.hope4tinyhearts.com.

The Hamiltons have also set up a site for Tucker, to track his progress and news about fundraising: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tuckerhamilton.