A Childs Smile

This article was to good not to share. I hope you read this, its amazing.

http://www.news4jax.com/positively-jax/heart-defect-survivors-bring-toys-to-patients

WINNERS REVISED

So after I posted about the winners I was contacted by Sarah and she said that she didnt feel comfortable being in the contest when she was donating the 2nd place prize. So to respect her wishes The new winner of the sterling silver necklace is...

Maria Nelson.

Congratulations Maria, please send me your mailing information so I can get this out to you. :)

Winners

            Thank you again for helping spread awareness for CHD It really went by fast this year. I would like to encourage you to continue to help spread awareness. One this I realized I didn't talk about was a pulse ox test. There are a lot of hospitals now who have this as one of their required test on newborns, but just in case it never hurts to ask. A pulse ox test is a little light that is put on the babies hand or foot and it measures the heart beat and blood flow and can help detect a heart defect. I know a few heart mommy's that have been working hard to get the pulse ox test to be a standard test in hospitals around the nation. This is just a simple way to spread awareness and help detect a possible CHD.
            For now though it is contest time. :) As always I assign random numbers to all participants and then go to random.org  and do a draw from 1 to 100 the 3 numbers I get are my winners. :) So here we are....

3rd place and winner of the $10 Everythings Ducky Boutique Gift card is...
DAWN FELLOWS

2nd place and winner of the Jamberry nail wraps is...
Diane Kowalik

and the winner of the sterling silver necklace is....
SARAH GARDINER 

CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!!! Please send me your information so that I can get your your prizes.

Happy Heart Day

Well today ends our heart day. I cant believe it went by so fast. But CHD Awareness doesn't have to be limited to these two weeks alone. Questions are always welcome year round. :) I really hope you have enjoyed reading these posts and learning about CHD. I feel like I didn't even cover a little of what the world of CHD is. So please ask questions if you have them.  Happy Heart Day!

Jack

 Being a organ donor may mean saving the life of a person. I know that this is a touchy subject for people. Even more so when you are talking about kids; I cant even imagine losing my little girl and having to go through that. However if that is something that would happen I hope I would be brave enough, like Jack's family to offer the gift of life to another little one through organ donation. I have been able to seen first hand how it blesses lives, not only that of the recipient but of the family of the giver.

My heart goes out to all the Heart Angels parents and families as well as my friends who have had to say goodbye to a child.

The boy in the picture above is Jack, the one who gave Abby the chance at life. Words cannot express my gratitude to his family for making the choice of donating their sons organs to save lives. Abby's life is not the only one he saved. We are forever grateful for this beautiful gift. I know it's hard to think of but please be an organ donor and when the time comes encourage your kids to do so. Death is a hard topic. But giving life to another is the best gift that could ever be given.

Please help spread awareness.

Our Heart Hero's Transplant

This is always hard to write my feeling about Abby's CHD experiences and I'm just her aunt. I have such a respect to her mother for her strength, courage and more. Abby is so amazing and I am so happy that I get to be in her life. It seemed like it took awhile for Abby to be considered to get on the transplant list. I don't know if this is because everyday felt like a week or if it really was a long time. It seemed like she was making daily trips to the hospital to do some kind of test or talk to some kind of doctor or board of doctors. But she was finally put on the transplant list. Our family talked about settling in and bracing ourselves for what we thought was going to be a very long wait. We talked about what it would mean for Abby to get a transplant not just for her but for someone else. Abby was on the list for I think it was about 4 days, if that. I can remember when my mother in law called us and said that Abby was on her way to the hospital. We couldn't believe that a heart was ready for her so fast. I went to work that day but was always either texting or calling to find out what was going on. I will admit selfishly that I was only thinking about Abby. I wasn't thinking about the poor family who was losing their loved one. I think it was because I was so focused on Abby and what I could do to help that it didn't even occur to me what the other family was going through somewhere in another room maybe even in the same hospital. I didn't think about it then, but I Definitely think about it now. A LOT
A family from Colorado was going through the loss of losing their son Jack. They donated his organs in the hope that they could help another. Jack's heart saved Abby. Abby went through all that a transplant patient goes through, endless medicine, weekly checkups to make sure there was no rejection. The scare when there was a sign of rejection. But through it all Abby had her guardian angel Jack to help her through it. I say had, but in reality I think he's still with her today. This spring we will celebrate Abby's 4th year after her transplant. She is in contact with Jack's family and was even able to go to Denver Colorado and participate in a donor run in honor of Jack. She got to meet Jacks family personally and they had the opportunity to listen to the beat of Jacks strong heart in our small heart hero. Abby's mom gives an amazing account of their journey to Colorado. I hope you will read it here.
There is so much more that I feel about this experience, but I have yet to have the chance to really be able to put them into words. I am so thankful for the chance to Have to send funny faced snap chats to this beautiful girl; :) or talk about books or the newest crazy movie that's out; I love watching her perform in her various plays that she does. Mostly I am just so happy that I can be in this sweethearts life and that she is in ours.

Memoriam

Abby's Perfect Broken Heart--Heart Failure

Sorry I have missed two days of CHD Awareness. I have been home sick. I wanted to continue the story of our heart hero Abby.

After her heart surgery everything seemed fine for awhile. Abby felt great and we were all starting to relax a little. We even had the chance to take Abby to my hometown of Monticello and show her around. Later in 2011 Abby  was getting ready to go in for some minor check ups to make sure her and her heart were ready for another big surgery for her back. Her heart doc had wanted to check and make sure her heart could take it. It was then that we found out that Abby was in heart failure. She didn't act like she was sick let alone in heart failure, she was lively and our happy Abby just like always.  I love sharing this video that her mother put together about her heart failure. It gets to me every-time I watch it. It brings back so many memories, fears, anxieties, and happy moments spent with Abby. 

Our Heart Hero Continued

Abby has been through A LOT in her short 16 years on this earth. I am so amazed and inspired by her and her strength daily. I want to share with you an old post but I felt like I couldnt change it. This is a post I did a few years ago during CHD Awareness Week about my feeling when Abby went through her second open heart surgery. I hope you enjoy learning about our sweet heart hero.

            "The Second Part of my story is fast forwarded to Abby's 2nd open heart surgery which took place last summer (2010). Before the actual surgery Abby and her mom Nikki found out that Abby's leaky valve needed to be replaced a lot sooner than they had anticipated. they were hoping to make it into Abby's teens. But after some testing they decided to move it to early 2010. Abby and Nikki attended surgery prep classes to find out as much as they could about what Abby was going to be going through. After a few times of her surgery being pushed back due to other cases. The dreaded and much anticipated day came. James and I arrived at the Wardell house around 9:30 to help watch the boys. in all honesty I thought I was going to see a side of Abby I thought i would never see. A frightened little girl quiet with dread. But I was proved wrong. Abby was happy to see us and after giving each of us hugs she showed us a few things she was excited for. Including her new piano book The Nightmare Before Christmas. (A much beloved movie in our home.) After everything that was needed was gathered instructions on food, diapers, etc. was given and many hugs and kisses all around. Abby, Justin, Nikki, and Nona (my mother in law) were off to Primary Children's Medical Center. Abby was the second surgery of the day. James, Dad A. and I tried to settle in after they left but it was difficult. We were tending the two youngest boys Ethan and Gavin. Nate (the oldest boy) was over at a friends house. On our end was just a lot of waiting and trying to distract ourselves by playing with the boys. But the flip side I am going to again give the readers digest version of her mothers story which you can find HERE to read it directly from her. After they got to the hospital at first it was just routine stuff medical history, allergy history, weight, etc. then Abby had to change into her medical pajamas...which she thought looked like old man jammies. She walked around acting like an old man making everyone laugh. Abby's surgery was scheduled for 12:30PM. So they sat and waited. Around 12:30 a nurse came in and apologized for the wait and told them that the baby who was having the same surgery wasn't doing well and Abby's surgery was going to be moved back to 3:30PM. After waiting for so long and having not a lot to do Abby's fear turned into impatience. Nikki described it as a blessing from the Lord to have all the fear and anxiety turn into impatience to help Abby through this. the waiting continued and they were able to go to a waiting room where there were other kids waiting for their different surgeries. The played games, read books, and even found a Wii in the corner and played Mario Party to help pass the time. Around 3:15 Abby's surgeon came in. He was a blessing as well. Abby was suppose to have a different surgeon but because of a change she was able to get him. Dr. Kaza is a graduate of Harvard and came to Primary Children's Hospital from Children's Hospital Boston. He told them that he could perform this surgery without stopping Abby's heart. A huge relief for all. He explained everything that would take place with this surgery. After that he looked at Nikki and told her that he was going to take good care of Abby and treat her like his own. I can only imagine the gratitude and relief Nikki felt when he said this to her. After the surgeon left the anesthesiologist came in shortly after to talk to them as well. He came in and explained all the technical stuff that goes along with is and joked around with Abby for awhile. Then the time came. I am going to take this next part out of Nikki's story again that you can read HERE.

"With that, it was time. I have walked the hall once before. Once before with a baby in my arms, who had no understanding of what was going on. I could cry a little without worrying about scaring her. I could act nervous and anxious as we walked the hall without adding more stress upon her. This time, I think this picture says it all:

I choke back tears every time I look at it. I look at little Abby in the picture….and I see the determination and the courage in the way she holds her head high and set, in the swing in her arms, in the way she has her bear, “squeezer” clutched under her arm like she is heading for a touchdown, and in the length of her stride and the confidence in every inch of her tiny body! I don’t know many adults that would walk down this hallway and into open heart surgery like this, but Abby did! She never faltered. She showed me that their was no place for fear, only courage in the face of that fear. At the end of the hallway, we stopped at the “see you later line” and I kissed her, and told her I would see her when she woke up. She then walked over the line that separates me from her, and she marched down the hallway with her anesthesiologist and Rachelle and didn’t look back. No tears, no long “see you laters”, just pure courage."

I can remember Dad (A.) and I was sitting on Nikki and Justin's back porch watching the two little boys play in the backyard, (James was at school) when we got the call from Mom A. that she just went in. I can remember saying little prayers in my heart for the next...I cant even remember how long. Dad and I had been lightly chatting and then after that call we were both silent for a long time. Just thinking and praying.

Nikki goes on talking about how after they said their see you laters. :) they got a quick bite to eat and settled in the waiting room to wait. they got updates from Rachelle who said that Abby hopped on the table and talked and talked till the anesthesiologist put the mask on and went to sleep. Commenting on her wonderful personality. Then about an hour later a nurse came in to give another update. Abby was being prepared for the bypass machine. We all were sure just how long this surgery would take since the last time it was only suppose to be 4 to 5 hours and turned out being longer. But 4 hours later Dr. Kaza came in to tell everyone that the surgery went great. "textbook". He replaced Abby's valve with a 21" bovine and as long as the valve lasts she wont have to get a replacement, because of it's size. they waited the allotted time to be able to go see her and started heading towards the CICU. When they got there Abby was surrounded by medical staff Dr. Kaza told them that they were trying to extubate (take a tube out) her and to come back later. they waited and after being told once more to come back they waited a little longer. When they finally got to see her they found out that when they were taking the tube out it caused her lung to collapse. Other than that everything was looking great.

James, Dad (A.) and I got the call that she was out and everything was ok. We heard about her lung and that she was now in CICU. We were happy and relieved to hear that the surgery went well. But I was nervous about her lung collapsing. I didn't really know what that meant or if/how it was going to effect Abby. We were anxious to go see her, but it was going to be awhile.
Abby had a hard night, she was reacting to the morphine and because of the high flow of oxygen she kept complaining that she couldn't breath. She did get some sleep.

The second day Abby continued to battle nausea and was in a lot of pain. She was also getting horrible anxiety attacks because of it. this day was full of goods and bads. I wont tell all of them, I will leave that for when you read the story. Abby was in a lot of pain, and her back was starting to get horrible knots in them cause her even more pain. She was able to hold her SAT's in the low 90's so they were able to take out the high flow oxygen and just have her on a low flow nasal tube. They also took out her catheter and a arterial line out. the morphine continued to make her sick and caused her a lot of anxiety, and with any surgery depression was starting to set in. they had Abby move from her bed to a rocking chair that was close by to try and get her moving. Because moving helps recovery. It took her 15 min. but when she finally was able to sit down and rest the pain in her back did ease up a bit and we saw a small tiny glance to a smile.
Poor little Abby was having a hard time recovering. As an aunt there's not a whole lot that you can do. James and I helped watched the boys. I knew that was helping but I felt like it wasn't enough. I wanted to somehow ease the burden's that Nikki and Justin were feeling I wanted to wrap my arms around Abby and Nikki and try and comfort them both and help them feel better.
Day 3:
My mother in law stayed with Abby that night so Nikki was able to get some rest. When Nikki got back to the hospital they had moved Abby to a new room in the CICU and she heard that slowly the Abby we know was coming back. There was talk of moving Abby out of the CICU. But before that could happen there were a few things that needed to happen first. She needed to have an echo and have her drainage tubes removed. Just touching the tubes hurt for Abby so the thought of removing them was terrifying. Again to hear about this please read the story HERE. After the tubes were removed Abby was moved to a different room and was starting to feel better; she could also now have visitors. She got a lot of visitors and she tried to seem happy and upbeat but she was so tired and having the visitors wore her out even more.
Justin's mom Barb had the boys this day so I went to work and James went to school. I got to leave work early so we could head up to the hospital to see Abby. When we got there she was sleeping. Mom said she would want to see us so gently woke her up. She seemed so small and fragile, it was weird seeing her just lying there in a bed. cause usually shes bouncy and well...not so still and quiet. She didn't talk a whole lot and when she did it was very soft we had to strain to hear. We didn't get to stay long cause I needed to get James to work and Uncle Gordy and Kim came to say hi and there cant be more than 3 people in the room at once. So we gently kissed Abby and told her we'd come back to see her soon.

Day 4:

For the surgery Mom (A.) had made Abby her own jammies and scrubs. Abby got to change into those. There was also talk about sending Abby home. But before they could do that, Abby needed to build up a little more strength and get her lung open. They took walks down the halls which helped build Abby's strength and helped open her lung but it also wore her out. There was a telethon going on and they asked Abby if she wanted to be on the telethon. this would mean she'd get a chance to be on TV. But Abby didn't

want to... a good sign that she was really not feeling well. visitors continued to come and say hi, but Abby was just exhausted.

After work I went up to the hospital to see Abby and to see if I could help with anything. The boys were up at the hospital in the playroom. Because there was on one to watch the boys Nikki felt torn between being with Abby and watching the boys. So Dad (A.) and I decided to entertain the boys so that Nikki could get back to Abby. We found out that Hogle Zoo was hosting an after hours family day for all Primary Children s hospital patients and their families. So after we found the right people to talk to we got the tickets and Dad and I loaded up the boys and went to the zoo. It was a fun time. After we left the zoo we took the boys back to say goodnight to Nikki. Nate slept over at our house that night. But before we went back to our house we had a good idea that Abby was going to be coming home the next day and Nikki had a big surprise for Abby's home coming...the only problem was it wasn't all the way done. Because of the difficulty of moving around without exhausting herself. Nikki wanted to surprise Abby with a new room to come home to. The room was painted all it needed was to be decorated and furnished. So we spent the night moving her old room from downstairs to upstairs. We had already finished the painting the previous day and was ready to get it mostly done and set for her tomorrow. Mom (A.) was going to come by before Abby got there and finish by adding more decor.
Day 5:
Abby seemed more like herself on this day. She was smiling and joking and talking a lot more. Her lung was doing better and her SAT's were stable and doing great. She wasn't in to much pain and she was able to stand and had more energy. not as much as normal but more. So talk of discharge started. After all the precautions and paper work Abby was on her way home. She was greeted by multiple posters of welcome from friends and family and a brand new room that was covered in hearts with get well messages from her primary class members. She was excited and happy to be home. We were thrilled to have our Abby back.

I went and saw her, I think either it was the day she came home or the day after. She was just the friendly sunny Abby that we know. I gave her a welcome home gift and she sat on her bed while I sat in the rocking chair and we talked for awhile. It was so good to be with her again and see her as chattery and happy as she always is. I love my wonderful Abby and I couldn't imagine my life as an Armstrong without her. She was one of the first to lovingly welcome me into the family and was my instant friend when I first met her."

Our Heart Hero

Imagine if you can, learning that you were pregnant for the first time. First the shock, then the joy, then the realization that you and your spouse are going to be parents. You go through all the milestones that one goes through with pregnancy. Morning sickness, loss of memory and train of thought, fatigue, excess energy, food cravings...sometimes weird ones. Seeing your baby for the first time on the ultra sound, hearing your baby's heartbeat, watching your belly grow, finding out if its a boy or a girl. Then the day for your babies arrival finally comes, you are so excited and nervous, but mostly in a lot of pain and exhausted. Then after the pain, pushing, and exhaustion you hear your baby's cry. You are so thankful that she is finally her, they place her in your arms for a little so you can see her and say hi. Then they say they need to clean her up and do some tests. They take a long time, in fact they take a very long time, and there is a lot of whispering between the doctor an the nurses. Then it hits you, somethings wrong. But what could be wrong with such a sweet precious angel. After a few more long minutes the doctor comes over and says that your sweet fragile little baby has a heart murmur. It could be nothing but they would like to do a few tests to make sure. The nurses finally bring you back your sweet little girl, wrapped up in a cute blanket with a cap on her head.  After a few days in the hospital full of visitors and happy times with family and your new little one the day comes that you can finally get to take your little one home.  You go through what they say is the usual routine before you leave. Watch videos, get shots, fill out paperwork. Then the doctor says they want to do a few more tests on your baby before you leave. An hour goes by, then two. You start to get bored but after four hours the doctor comes back and says that you are ready to be sent home. However he has made an appointment with a cardiologist at the Children's Hospital just to make sure but he thinks something is wrong with your baby's heart. Two weeks later sitting in the cardiologist office, he tells you that your baby has a birth defect and needs to have open heart surgery to fix it.
This is not my experience, but it is the experience of my sister in law. Her first child, a beautiful baby girl was diagnosed with a Congenital Heart Defect known as Tetrology of Fallot. At 6 months old, my niece Abby had to undergo an open heart surgery to fix a hole in her heart.

 I cant even imagine the emotion that came with finding out Abby had a CHD. I have read her mothers account numerous times and have gotten her most descriptive account of what she felt and went through personally. But to me it is still incomprehensible. I wasn't there for this time in Abby's life. I met my husband, her uncle, when she was 6 years old. But she touched my heart and I instantly fell in love with her. She is the reason I started to help spread awareness and do this contest and event, and I keep it going because of her as well as all the beautiful heart babies and heart angels that I have learned about since starting to help spread awareness. You can visit her facebook page to learn more about Abby.

Others with CHD's

                I did some research and it may surprise you who you have seen on the big screen, in the Olympics, on your favorite sports team, in your favorite band, etc. That has a CHD or has a child with a CHD. As a 12 year old living with CHD; My niece Abby wasnt always able to do some of the things other kids can. She had to take breaks to catch her breath when running around with her brothers or playing outdoor games with family. If she got to excited and worked up while playing video games she had to sit back for awhile and calm down. And when Abby's energy was spent no matter where she is she will find a place to curl up and sleep. Despite all this Abby remains the ball of energy and spunk that we have always known and loved. She doesn't let her CHD define who she is but always keeps pressing forward till she gets what she wants. I know a lot of these people bring hope to Abby who someday wants to star on Broadway, sing a chart topping song and just all around be famous and have everyone know her name. :)

Famous People with a Congenital Heart Defect

• Shaun White – Olympic Snowboarder (Tetralogy of Fallot)
• Mark “Fight Shark” Miller – MMA Fighter/Kickboxer (Aortic Stenosis)
• Joe Strummer(21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002) – Clash front man, passed away due to undiagnosed CHD at 50.
• John Glascock(2 May 1951 – 17 November 1979) – base guitarist, Jethro Tull. Died at 28 from CHD complications.
• Max Page - Child Actor and Darth Vader in VW Superbowl Ad (Tetralogy of Fallot)
• Tedy Bruschi – Former Patriots linebacker and ESPN Commentator (Atrial Septal Defect)
• John Ritter(September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) – Actor, passed away due to undiagnosed Congenital Heart Defect
• Paul Cardall – Pianist, Complex CHD/Heart Transplant (Paul has a great CHD Blog athttp://mytricuspidatresia.blogspot.com)
• Brian Littrell – Member of the Backstreet Boys (Ventricular Septal Defect)

Famous Heart Parents with CHD Kids

• Bret Baier – Fox New Anchor (Son with d-transposition of the great vessels)
• Sylvester Stallone – Actor (Daughter with Ventricular Septal Defect)
• Katherine Heigl– Actress (Daughter with CHD)
• Matt Hammitt – Lead Singer of Sanctus Real (Son withhypoplastic left heart syndrome)
• Senator Ron Johnson – Junior Senator (Republican) from Wisconsin (Daughter with Transposition of the Great Arteries)
• Roger Rosenblatt – an American journalist, author, playwright and teacher. His book Making Toast, details losing his daughter Amy to an undiagnosed/asymptomatic CHD and the aftermath of her death.
• Tom Riles – Warm Up Entertainer for the Ellen show (Daughter with CHD)
• Charles Tillman – Chicago Bears (Daughter with Cardiomyopathy)

CHD Dads Sing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"

I know I shared this last year and you can probably still see it on this blog. But I just love this. It makes me cry every time.

Congenital Heart Defects Personal Stories

I found these on the American Heart Association. There are a few stories I am familiar with and some that I am not. Either way I love sharing stories about Heart Warriors and their families. Please click on the link below to read their stories.





Congenital Heart Defects Personal Stories

Contest

   

                           I realized I hadn't talked about the ways you can win. There are 3 different ways you can submit your name into the drawing. (So a chance to have your name in the drawing 3 times instead of 1) One way is posting a question in the comments here on the blog, I will be answering all questions at the end of each week. The 2nd & 3rd way is helping to spread CHD awareness.  Examples are: Posting something on your blog about CHD and then put the link to your post in the comments so that I can go read about it. Helping to spread awareness on Facebook or Twitter. You can do this by posting about CHD awareness, sharing my blog or event, making your profile picture something about CHD, etc. Please remember to tag me on Facebook/Twitter or post a link in the comments section on my blog, so I know to add your name to the drawing. I would hate to only have your name in 2 times when you deserve 3. These are just some examples and will only get your name in the drawing once.
                        I know that I usually have some kind of diamond necklace. However due to finances being a little rough I am not going to be able to afford something that extravagant. However I will still find some beautiful prizes to give away as a reward for helping to spread awareness. So start commenting, questioning and spreading awareness for a chance to enter to win. 

New pediatric imaging facility aims to improve treatment for congenital ...

I found this on the National Heart,Lung and Blood Institute's website and thought I would share.

CHD Explained...a little

According to the American Heart Association at Heart.org Congenital mean it was existing at the time of birth. Defect is an abnormality that occurs in the heart during development in the womb either with the heart itself or with the blood vessels around the heart. There are many different types of heard defects that could occur. a few are...

Common Types of Heart Defects

• Aortic Valve Stenosis (AVS)
• Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)
• Coarctation of the Aorta (CoA)
• Complete Atrioventricular Canal defect (CAVC)
• d-Transposition of the Great Arteries
• Ebstein's Anomaly
• Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
• I-Transposition of the Great Arteries
• Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
• Pulmonary Atresia
• Pulmonary Valve Stenosis
• Single Ventricle Defects
• Tetralogy of Fallot
• Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC)
• Tricuspid Atresia
• Truncus Arteriosus
• Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)

CHD is the most common birth defect that effects 1 out of 100 babies born. That can mean up to 40,000 babies born in 1 year will have a congenital heart defect. CHD is the cause of on third of all birth defect related deaths  in infants. sadly 20% of babies born with a CHD  wont make it past their first birthday. (Childrens Heart Foundation)

This is one of the many reasons why I help to try and spread awareness about CHD. There has been wonderful medical advances to help CHD's; whether its detecting them, surgical operations to try and correct the defect and many more. 

7th Annual CHD Awareness Week

Welcome to the 7th annual CHD Awareness Week. I would like to start by giving a small background as to why I do this; 10 years ago I didn't even know what CHD was or that it even existed. Then in he summer of 2006 I was introduced to a cute little girl with a big personality. My niece Abby was 6 when I first met her and had already underwent multiple surgery's for a heart defect. Since then I have seen he undergo more surgery;s including a valve replacement in her heart, She then had complications due to heart failure, which led to an eventual heart transplant. These are just a few of the surgeries. I always like to get into her story a little more though out these posts. I love my niece very much and often felt very helpless when her and her family go through these surgery's, hospital visits and more. Seven years ago I had an idea to host this event on my blog to try and help spread awareness about CHD and my nieces story, I know I couldn't do as much as I wanted to help this sweet family, but at least I could help spread awareness. CHD stand for Congenital Heart Defects. This is a condition that occurs in 1 out of 100 babies born. There are multiple defects associated with CHD, some not as severe as others but all important to know and understand about. I hope as we take this journey together over the next two weeks that I help spread awareness and increase your understanding about CHD. Yes I do offer prizes at the end of the awareness week, which I will explain a little more in detail tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the next few days and I am excited to read your questions and comments.

Month of Love and Hearts

January is slowly coming to an end, which means that February and CHD Awareness is right around the corner. I am excited to host the 7th Annual CHD Awareness Week here on this blog. I am looking forward to giving updates, as well as helping to spread awareness about CHD. I will also be adding Support for Organ Donation to the awareness week. After all with out a donor heart from her sweet angel, my niece wouldn't be with us today. So mark your calendars for Feb 1-14 and get ready for fun facts, quizzes, Q&A's and PRIZES!!!!