What Heart Day means to me ~2012

hypoplastic left heart syndrome

Happy Valenintine’s Day


In November of 2001 I gave birth to my oldest son Matthew, who is now 10 years old. He was a beautiful baby boy with a full head of dark brown hair. All was well, and in an instant I was this sweet little boys Mom. Soon we realized our son was struggling, trying not to worry we hoped for the best.

About 12 hours after my sweet little Matthew was born we found out he had one of the worst heart defects you can be born with. He was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), or in other words he was missing the whole left side of his heart. In an instant my world was turned upside down. We had three choices,

1. Let him peacefully pass away in our arms, and spare him a long road of surgery’s, and hospital stays.
2. A heart transplant, which he would most likely never get in time.
3. Open heart surgery’s (at least 3 and a hand full of other corrective surgery’s). The first one he would need with in days and he only had a 25% chance of surviving.

We decided to give our son a chance at life, no matter what the odds were. We knew we had to try to repair his tiny heart and give him a chance at life. So off to Seattle Children’s Hospital we went. In three years my son had 3 major open heart surgery’s, and 11 other corrective surgery’s. Those three years were filled with moments of total despair. At times the challenges seems more than I could handle. But they were also filled with gratitude, joy, and on over whelming love for my tiny son. Matthew was in the hospital for weeks even months at a time. I had to rely on the knowledge of Doctors and Nurses to give my son the critical care he needed to live. I also had to rely on the kindness of other “heart moms”, who gave me support and love in those difficult times. I was humbled by the kindness of others I made a promise to myself that I would try to give back as a way to say thank you.

Some have asked me why I take the time out of my busy day to write this blog? I know that some of you out there are struggling, I know what it feels like to be over whelmed with the burdens of everyday life. So this is my way of helping you, Let me teach you another way to provide the basics for your family. When I get an email telling me I have helped someone, I feel like I have kept my promise to give back, to help others in their time of need! This is my way of saying thank you …..SO Happy Heart Day!
With a heart full of gratitude!
Sarah

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