Happy Heart Day!!!

February 14th….For all the heart families out there, you know how very special today is for us…for others, let me share. February 14th…Yes, it is Valentines Day, but it is also A Day for Hearts…It is Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Day. It was exactly one short year ago that Jeff & I went out to dinner for Valentines’s Day. It was a couple days after we received the news that we should have a level II ultrasound as some of my bloodwork screening came back high, and it was only 5 days before the scheduled Level II appointment. I remember as it was yesterday, sitting in a quaint location of the restaurant, where I looked over at Jeff and asked him “is everything going to be okay at our appointment?” Of course his ever so confident voice responded “of course it is”; not that I expected him to say anything but. That appointment on February 19th, changed our lives forever. “Change” was suddenly not about how much different life was going to be having three children instead of two. Change took on a whole new meaning. This was the day we found out our baby girl had a severe heart defect; we would soon be embarking on a path a little less traveled. February 14th, 2007…it was Valentine’s Day. And today, February 14th, 2008, it is CHD Awareness Day. Heart Day! One year ago I didn’t know that 1 in every 100 babies are born with some sort of heart defect. If asked about CHD, I don’t know I could have told you what it was. When I heard someone talk about heart disease, little did I know it affected babies, and so many of them. I certainly didn’t want to believe that our baby girl was going to be that statistic. So, our lives “changed”…that is an understatement indeed. Although the change was certainly far from what we expected, it was certainly the “change” that ended up the way it was meant to be. So again I remember when I asked Jeff “is everything going to be okay?” We may not have received the “okay” news that we wanted at that ultrasound appointment, but in the end, we are more than okay. We have the most amazing children, who, as we teach them all about life, they teach us what life is all about! Sure, this last year was difficult. I shed more tears than I thought possible; I felt more heartache than I knew I was capable of feeling, and not a day goes by that I don’t fear and worry for my children. But there is no place else I’d rather be! Attached are two poems that touch a little into the world of CHD. It gives a glimpse of what we, and so so many others go through. Each of us have our own unique stories…our own circumstances, and our own “crosses to bear”, yet we are all one; one large family. When we look at our baby girl, and reflect back on just how very far she has come, how much she has conquered in only 7 months, including a major open heart surgery at under 3 months old, and how many lives she has touched, we are nothing but thankful to God. He has blessed us emensely. Please remember that there are so many babies & children & families affected by a CHD. It becomes a part of your life. So today, on Valentine’s Day, Heart Day, take a moment to think and pray for all the children and families that have been affected by a CHD. Live a little more…Laugh a little louder…Love a TON more!! _______________________________________________ What is it like to have a child with a CHD? 
 It's Lasix,aspirin, Captopril. ... 
It's wondering... Lord what's your will?... It's monitors and oxygen tanks... 
It's a constant reminder...to always give thanks... 
 It's feeding tubes, calories, needed weight gain... 
It's the drama of eating...and yes it's insane! 
 It's the first time I held him...(I'd waited so long) 
It's knowing that I need...to help him grow strong... 
 It's making a hospital...home for awhile... 
It's seeing my reward...in every smile. 
 It's checking his sats...as the feeding pump's beeping... 
It's knowing that there... is just no time for sleeping... 
 It's caths,x-rays and boo boos to kiss... 
It's normalcy...I sometimes miss... 
 It's asking...do his nails look blue? 
It's cringing inside... at what he's been through. 
It's dozens of call to his pediatrician. .. 
(She knows me by name...I'm a mom on a mission) 
 It's winter's homebound... and hand sanitizer... 
It's knowing this journey...has made me much wiser. 
It's watching him sleeping...his breathing is steady... 
It's surgery day...and I'll never be ready. 
 It's handing him over...( I'm still not prepared...) 
It's knowing that his heart... must be repaired... 
It's waiting for news...on that long stressful day... 
It's ...praying.. .it's hoping...that he'll be okay. 
It's the wonderful friends... with whom I've connected... 
It's the bond that we share...it was so unexpected.. . 
 It's that long faded scar... down my child's small chest... 
It's touching it gently...and knowing we're blessed... 
 It's watching him chasing...a small butterfly... 
It's the moment I realized...I' ve stopped asking...why? 
 It's the snowflakes that fall...on a cold winter's day... 
(They remind me of those...who aren't with us today) 
 It's a brave little boy...who loved Thomas the train... 
Or a special heart bear...or a frog in the rain.... 
It's the need to remember...we are all in this plight.... 
It's their lives that remind us... we still need to fight! 
 It's in pushing ahead amidst every sorrow... 
It is finding the strength to have hope for tomorrow. 

 And no...we'll never be the same... 
It's changed our family... 
This is what we face each day... 
This is...a CHD.


 Author: Anissa Speight ________________________________________________ Somewhere...someplace... today... A family is waiting to hear... Is something wrong with their baby? The answers aren't quite clear... This family has entered an unwanted world... And they just don't know what to expect... Somewhere...someplace... today They first heard the words: heart defect. And how they hoped this was not true... And thought... this cannot be... I too... know just how this feels... For one day...this was me. Somewhere...someplace...today... A man and a woman embrace... Their baby is in surgery... They long to see her face... They haven't got to hold her yet... Without...a cord or line... They pace the room awaiting news... And hope she'll be just fine. Prayers fill this busy waiting room... And mom and dad are scared... Somewhere...someplace..today... The tiniest hearts are repaired. Somewhere...someplace...today... A child's growing fast... Smiling,laughing,thriving... His mom thinks...can this last? It's almost easy...to forget... That anything is wrong... Somewhere...someplace..today... Her child seems so strong. Somewhere...someplace... today... A little boy fights...just to live A father holds his tiny hand... His love...all he can give... The doctor's are all baffled... They fear that he might die... Somewhere...someplace...today... A family says goodbye... Somewhere...someplace...each year.. More than 40,000 families will see... What it means...when something's wrong... They'll face a CHD. Today...for just a moment... Stop...remember...reflect... Make time to tell someone you know... "I've been changed by a heart defect". Author: Stephanie Husted HAPPY VALENTINES DAY & HAPPY HEART DAY EVERYONE! WE LOVE YOU ALL!