National Heart Month

February is National Heart Month, and this week specifically is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. I feel it is my duty to raise awareness about congenital heart defects. Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common type of birth defect, affecting close to 8 of every 1,000 births. There are so many different types of CHDs, ranging in severity.

Here is an article from the Huffington Post on Monday about CHDs. I fully agree that the pulse-ox screen should be mandatory before a baby leaves the hospital. Many heart defects aren't detected until a week or more after the baby has left the hospital. Early detection could save the lives of so many babies. A pulse-ox test takes all of 1 minute. It seems like a no-brainer to me.

Unfortunately, there are many people in my family who have been affected by heart defects. Except for Claire Bear, they are all still here with us today. My grandpa was born with a CHD. He has had multiple heart attacks, but is still kicking. He turns 80 this year! Growing up, my grandparents lived only a few blocks away. They live in Arizona now, so I don't get to see him as much. At least I have a great reason to go to warmer weather! My grandpa is the most stubborn person in the world, but I couldn't imagine my life without him.

Just last year, my mother-in-law started getting short of breath very easily. It got to the point where she couldn't get up the stairs, and finally where she couldn't even walk from her car to the house. She used to be Brady's daycare everyday. With as much as she loved watching him, we knew there was something seriously wrong when she finally told us she couldn't do it anymore. After many tests, they found she had a mitral valve leak along with a couple other issues including fluid around her lungs. They scheduled her for open heart surgery. That was an extremely scary time for our family. She just turned 60, way too young! Thank God, she made it through and is pretty much back to normal now. She's picking up Brady, no problem, which is not an easy feat considering he weighs almost 26 pounds.

My cousin, Bailey, was born with a serious heart defect. She had all the chambers of her heart, but they were working the opposite of how they should. My Aunt and Uncle had no idea that Bailey had a heart defect while my aunt was carrying her. They had no warning and fully expected to have a completely normal delivery and get to bring their baby girl home like everyone else. As soon as she was born, the doctors could tell there was something wrong. They immediately took her away. They ran some tests, discovered her defect, and started making plans for where she would have open heart surgery. Her surgery was a success, and Bailey just graduated high school this December. She is extremely active, playing every sport possible, and pretty much has no remnants of her heart defect except for the "13 inches of proof" as she calls it (her scar).

Make sure you give extra hugs to anyone you know that has a heart defect this month. Let them know how thankful you are that they are here. To anyone you've lost to a heart problem, my heart goes out to you and them. I know how hard it is.