Nearly 1 of every 100 babies is born with CHD.
What if that one was yours?
He was ours.
His name was Isaac and he was our third child. He was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). He didn't have a left ventricle, which is the part of the heart that pumps blood to your brain and body. We planned to do a series of three surgeries to replumb his heart to function as half a heart. But Isaac seemed to grab onto every complication he could.Isaac was born January 1, 2008 and was the first baby of the new year at the University of Utah hospital. Once stabilized he was taken straight to Primary Childrens Medical Center (PCMC). During his first hospital stay he underwent open heart surgery, two heart caths, and an intestinal surgery to correct an addition defect he had called imperforate anus. We were finally able to take him home on April 3, 2008.
We only had Isaac home for nine days before he caught a cold and ended up back in the Pediatric ICU (PICU) at PCMC on a ventilator. During this second stay he had an airway scope, two open heart surgeries, and a diaphragm surgery.
Then just days from taking him home again, he threw up, aspirated it, and went into respiratory failure. He passed away on July 26, 2008.
CHD stands for Congenital Heart Disease/Defect. It means that there is something wrong with the heart when a baby is born. CHD is the #1 birth defect in the United States and twice as many children die every year from CHD than all childhood cancers combined. Yet, there is little awareness for it and a severe lack of funding. If we can spread awareness, funding would increase, and better help could be given to little ones like Isaac.
I am a Heart Mom and this is my cause.
Please help me spread awareness. Take five minutes of your time- send an email, post on your blog, update your facebook. Let others know about CHD. Just a few minutes can go a long way.
For some statistics on CHD, please visit The Childrens Heart Foundation.
Please take a moment to watch the video we put together of our little Isaac's life. The song was written for him by Songs of Love.
CHD stands for Congenital Heart Disease/Defect. It means that there is something wrong with the heart when a baby is born. CHD is the #1 birth defect in the United States and twice as many children die every year from CHD than all childhood cancers combined. Yet, there is little awareness for it and a severe lack of funding. If we can spread awareness, funding would increase, and better help could be given to little ones like Isaac.
I am a Heart Mom and this is my cause.
Please help me spread awareness. Take five minutes of your time- send an email, post on your blog, update your facebook. Let others know about CHD. Just a few minutes can go a long way.
For some statistics on CHD, please visit The Childrens Heart Foundation.
Please take a moment to watch the video we put together of our little Isaac's life. The song was written for him by Songs of Love.
