USA, February is heart month

Superu_legacy

Superu_legacy

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:love: February is heart month! :love:

We all know someone with a heart condition, problem, surgery, correction, medications, etc. Think about him/her/them and send them some love this month.

This Friday marks the beginning of CHD (Congenital Heart Defect/Disease) awareness week and I'll be posting every day during CHD awareness week.

Today (Feb 2) marks our two year anniversary for my son's surgery and 1 year hospital free!!! Blessed health!!

Owen's pretty much the toughest kid I know!
I love this little boy!! He teaches me every day.
He faces challenges, digs in and goes for it! :headbang:
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All the best to your son and family!
 
That's good news re Owen's health!
 
Looks like he is about to go BIG!!!:cool:

Great to hear he's staying out of the hospital, hope he can keep it that way.:ebiggrin:
 
Great story SL, hope his heart stays strong & healthy. Love the track he's lining up for some big air! :lildevil:
 
Friday Feb 7, 2014 marks the beginning of Congenital Heart Disease/Defect (CHD) awareness week!


Congenital heart defects affect almost 1 in 100 live births in the US and critical CHD are the number one cause of birth defect-related deaths in the world, more than all pediatric cancers combined!
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How can you help?

Give blood! Blood is the most powerful medicine available, and your body makes it. It takes about an hour or less, you get to kick back, surf your smart device, chill and you get treat at the end!

More goodness tomorrow!
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2/8/14

* Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Week *

What can you do to help? Support pulse oximetry testing for newborns. This inexpensive, non-invasive test can detect up to 90% of the CHDs that require surgery within the first year. Legislators in Arizona, New Mexico, and Wisconsin (among other states) are currently debating whether to add this test to the newborn screening panel. See the link below for a map of states with active legislation.

https://cchdscreeningmap.org/
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Prior to modern interventions, the survival rate for Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia was less than 5%.



Here are a couple Tertalogy of Fallot success stories you may be familiar with. . .

Max, the "Vader kid"
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https://youtu.be/R55e-uHQna0

And Shaun White of Olympic snowboarding gold
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https://m.clickondetroit.com/sports...ts/-/16732610/24341994/-/7ocr1dz/-/index.html
 
2/9/14

* Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Week *

The first procedure to treat Tetralogy of Fallot was developed by a man with a high school education and who was [initially] not permitted in the operating room because he was black. He (Vivian Thomas) and chief of surgery at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Alfred Blalock spent hundreds of hours rehearsing and developing an operation to repair the hearts of "blue babies," so named because a congenital heart defect called tetralogy of Fallot left them blue (hypoxia) from lack of oxygen. With Thomas advising over his shoulder, Dr. Blalock successfully performed the first procedure on 15-month-old Eileen Saxon on Nov. 29, 1944. Not only did Mr. Thomas advise and coach the chief of surgery in the initial operations, he designed and built the instruments used in the operation!
Recognize your talents and the gifts of those around you!

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Dr. Alfred Blalock, Mr. Vivien Thomas and Anna (the only animal with a likeness hanging at Johns Hopkins)

Thank you Vivien Thomas!
PBS documentary: Partners of the Heart about Vivian Thomas and Dr. Alfred Blalock.
 
Day 4 - 2/10/14



* Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Week *

Register to be an organ donor! You can save a life.
You can save a family. Follow the link and look
at the upper right hand corner to see how to register in your state.

https://www.organdonor.gov/index.html


It's estimated that over one million adults in the US are survivors of a CHD.
 
Yep Im an organ donor. I believe it should be automatic unless you opt out. Oz unfortunately has one of the lowest organ donor rates in the Western world :(
 
Day 5 - 2/11/14


*Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Week*

Make a meal for the Ronald McDonald House.


I know. The name. It's hard to get past. But then we had to stay in a
Ronald McDonald House, and here is what they provide: subsidized to free
housing for parents of kids at children's hospitals. A room to unpack
and shower and sleep in a bed that is not surrounded by beeping
monitors. Storage lockers and cooking supplies for when you have the
energy; meals provided by volunteers for when you do not. Fridges for
medicine and breast milk. Play rooms for siblings and outpatient kids.
Free shuttles to and from the hospital, which was only 2 minutes away.



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Day 6 - 2/12/14



* Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Week*

Support pediatric cardiac research.


Compared to its prevalence, research into congenital heart defects is
grossly underfunded. In the United States, twice as many children die
from congenital heart defects each year than from all forms of childhood
cancer combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five
times higher than funding for CHD. The American Heart Association's
Legacy of Life Endowment is dedicated to funding CHD research. You can
learn more by following this link:

https://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@mwa/documents/downloadable/ucm_438992.pdf



There is so much awesome research going on out there! https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/piece-heart-arm-18254889/Nigh.../video/piece-heart-arm-18254889
 
Day 7 - 2/13/14



* Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Week *

Give a caretaker a break.

Caring for a chronically ill child can be
physically, mentally, and financially exhausting. Watch the kids. Do
some dishes. Make dinner. Heck, any parent will tell you that
you could actually take the "chronically ill" part out of that
sentence, and any caretaker could tell you to take out the "child" and
replace with "person."

If you know of someone caring for a
chronically ill patient, a Heart Mom has developed an app to track
medical records, meds, and a myriad other things that are important to
have on hand. You can help make the app FREE for parents in need by
supporting her Indie-Go-Go campaign.


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BTW, almost half of all children and adults with complex congenital heart disease have neurological and developmental disabilities which is often a result of either chromosomal issues that are associated with heart defects or complications from being on bypass.
 
2/14/14
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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!
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HAPPY HEART DAY
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100% of parents of kids with CHDs think their kids can do amazing things.


Our Owen, he is my inspiration!


Only 2 yet he's done, seen, experienced and pulled through so much!!
Keep charging little man, we've a lot to still pull through, do, see and experience!


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Born 1/23/12

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Diagnosed TOF with PA 1/28/12

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Discharged from Children's Hospital Feb 14, 2012

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Thank you Children's of CO!!!

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Off Oxygen and psyched

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Experiencing . . . wind in my face!

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This is our happy boy!!!






Love the ones you love.

We see a reminder of how precious, how vulnerable life is every day. Now is a moment to remember to treasure those you love.
 
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