Finding Joy in the Little Things
by AJ loves doing laundry. He treats it like a pile of leaves. Jumping into it, laughing when we drop it on his head, throwing it …
Heart Cath: Aortic Stent
“Oh! They just put a stent in his aorta and ballooned the stent he already had in his left pulmonary artery – but everything is great!” Just. Everything is great. Like it’s no big deal.
Free Canva Template: DSDN PALS Socks Printable Cards
We put these printable cards together to pass out with the PALS socks that were ordered for our DSDN Fundraiser. We not only sold socks …
CHDs and an Increased Risk of Other Health Concerns
Nearly 60% of children with a CHD have special healthcare needs in addition to their heart concerns, compared to 20% of children without. Source CDC …
It’s Normal to Need Help
There is no award that you’ll get for being able to say “I’m a parent of a child with a CHD and I never wanted or needed any help”
Causes of CHDs
Certain genetic conditions increase the risk of having a congenital heart defect. So far Down syndrome and other types of trisomies, Turner syndrome, and 22q11.2 …
Adults with CHDs
A lot of people ask us what the life expectancy is for AJ. It’s a weird question to be asked, and the truth is that …
When Are CHDs Found?
We did not know anything was even potentially wrong with AJ until after he was born. In fact, we all took turns holding him after …
Critical CHDs and Infant Heart Surgery
The nights before and the mornings of my son’s open-heart surgeries are deeply engrained in my mind. I spent every second I could with him, …