Tuesday, February 7, 2012

The most common defect

Our family is a heart family.  I have a heart condition and have been very lucky to have avoided surgery up until this point.  The common question when doctors hear my condition is when was your surgery, not have you had your surgery.  My youngest, Finn, has the same condition however his is getting worse little by little and has changed enough over the first year of his life that we know he will not make it to his mid-thirties without the surgery and will probably undergo surgery by the time he is eight or nine.  While it is scary, as it is an open heart procedure, the results are good and outcomes can be amazing.

We also have three other kids with heart defects, Haven had pulmonary stenosis and a VSD which thankfully closed and her stenosis improved.  Brittan has a simple murmur.  Teagan has pulmonary stenosis and a malformed pulmonary valve but she too has been thriving and is just being followed and watched.

We hold CHD close to our hearts, and they are the most common defect found amongst newborns with the impact ranging from a simple murmur to a life threatening anomaly.

We are wearing red today for CHD Awareness Week.  Chances are you know someone who has a CHD, so will you wear red to support them?

Check out Mended Little Hearts here http://www.mendedlittlehearts.org/

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