Our kids look like regular kids. They play, laugh, and they love with every part of their pieced together hearts. Many will never know the struggle they endure. The agonizing pain they went through as babies, and yes even as babies no matter how much we try to help them forget, wether it be through play or drugs (yes they have them for our tiny lil babies) they dont always forget, and they dont always know why they are scared. Just to inform many, some end up with PTSD. I know right, isnt that what some soldiers get after being in war?! Trust me if you went through as much as these kiddos went through you would see why. But these kids, these miracles, they still smile, they still thrive. I guess this is why CHD is so forgotten about. Even though it shouldnt be!! 1 in 100 babies will be born with a CHD, from mild to severe. Can you imagine that? Being on the street, looking around a crowd of people and then thinking, 1 in 100. Kind of scary huh? But yet, its not known enough as it should be. When was the last time you seen a commercial with a child and their chest was cut open because they had a CHD? Never huh. Me neither, but I will tell you what I have seen. Sick children living with cancer. Its truly heart breaking watching the struggles of those children, especially ones that are as young as 6 months.
Little secret.... my son had his first open heart surgery at 7 days old. Crazy when you think about it. Even crazier that twice as many children die from CHD every year than ALL childhood cancers. Yet funding for our kids is still bare. So we get this one week every year that we have to send of proclamations to our governors for so that we can spread awareness to the public. Its not like breast cancer awareness MONTH were everyone knows when its happening. We all know to expect the array of pink passing by. Store windows draped in pink tule, ribbons worn by men and woman. Merchandise that gives a percentage of proceeds to Susan. B. Coleman to help fight the war on breast cancer. I have NOTHING against fundraising for childhood cancer or breast cancer, let alone any illness that affects us as human beings. I have known a child with leukemia when I was a teen, I prayed for him every night to stay in remission, because no child should have to suffer. And breast cancer hits home to me, not only has my family been affected by it from my great grandmother to aunts. But I am a mother, a wife, a woman! I would be leaving behind 3 beautiful children and wonderful husband. I have fed and nourished children with my gifts, made them strong, healthy. I have a much larger chance of being diognosed with breast cancer even now at the age of 24 because of my families history. I also made another statistic though, 1 in 100! My child was one. I never expected it to happen, yet it did, and it has happened to many others.
Let me put it like this, every woman was once a child. So it only makes sense to start with their hearts!
So these posts you see "taking up your newsfeed", they're not just something someone like because it was cute, or was put out their to gain attention for the wrong reasons. It was put there maticuelously to make others aware of this terrible thief that's stealing our children away.
Just like spreading the word of knowing the signs of breast cancer, there are also signs to know for a possible CHD.
So I ask of you during this week to help spread awareness. Awareness gives knowledge to others who wouldn't have otherwise known, it can save a life, and it can help create more funding in hopes that one day our kids will out live us. Twenty years ago babies born with HLHS, waylons defect, were thought to be hopeless causes and most were sent home to pass. Now funding and research has helped these kids to live. And hopefully one day we wont have to worry about outliving our children! Advancements are being made, but not nearly as quickly as they could if CHD was more known. So please spread awareness!
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