Let the madness begin!

February kicks off what is considered HEART AWARENESS MONTH.

This week is extra special to me and the HEARTLAND because it allows us to honor those who live with or have lost their life to a (CHD) congenital heart defect.

Today as we kick off the week I want to give you some facts about congenital heart defects.

What is a CHD?

Congenital heart defects (CHD) are conditions that are present at birth and can affect the structure of a baby’s heart and the way it works. They can affect how blood flows through the heart and out to the rest of the body. Congenital heart defects can vary from mild (such as a small hole between the chambers of the heart) to severe (such as missing or poorly formed portions of the heart).

Mason drew the severe CHD card and is missing his entire left ventricle. The name of his CHD is Hypoplastic Left Heart.

The signs and symptoms for a CHD depend on the type and severity. Some defects unfortuntetly have few signs or no signs, while other defects create signs in children such as bluish tinted nails or lips, fast or troubled breathing, the child might tire easily when feeding or they tend to be not as active and very sleepy.

DID YOU ALSO KNOW - Congenital heart defects are:

The most common type of birth defects
The leading cause of infant deaths

Comments

Loaded Diaper?!?!?

Today's post title comes to you from the one and only Greg Garka... Thanks for the idea babe! As far as Mason is concernced today was another good day for our little man! We made our goal and got up and went on a total of three walks. The last walk of the night he spotted the “playroom” and was interested so we stopped and visited with our neighbors while he played. It was the highlight of the day. His appetite decreased today but that is to be expected since he hadn’t yet had a bowel movement (in 6 days)– however about 60 minutes ago things changed in that department and I am happy to report his bowels are working and back in action… During his echo he was again a crowd pleaser and was on his best behavior. The technician said that he was the best 3 year old she has done. It is so funny; he gets upset when something is about to happen and he doesn’t understand what. He tells us he is scared and then after we explain to him what they are going to do and that it won’t hurt –

Our Day at Children's

Hello all, Kelsey and I spent the morning at Children's Hopsital in Seattle today, what a place! They sure do a good job of trying to make the kids feel comfortable...part of me didn't even feel like I was at a hospital. We met with a Cardiologist, Dr. Vernon, and a Paranaetologist, Dr. Holmgren (yes, Mike Holmgren's daughter). Both of them were very nice and extremely informational. Dr. Vernon did confirm that Mason has HLHS and is a candidate for the Fontan Operations, which are the three stage surgeries he will have to go through to get his heart working as normal as possible. Kelsey and I have been talking about where we would want to do the surgeries in case we weren't comfortable with Seattle Children's. We knew going in that Children's in Seattle is one of the premeir hospitals in the country, but weren't sure how they were compared to other hospital's like University of Michigan with this particular heart disease. I'm glad to say that w

Wordy Wednesday or Wordless Wednesday????

The big question of the day should I be wordy or wordless on Wednesday? If I go WORDY a post might have quotes such as: - When you are through changing you are through - It takes both rain and shuneshine to make a rainbow - If a care is too small to be turned into a prayeer, it is too small to be made into a burden - We make our plans, but the Lord determines out steps. Proverbs 16:19 - The world at its worst needs a church at its best - The essence of generosity is self-sacrifice - Philanthrophy, like chartity must begin at home - A reject opportunity to give is a lost opportunity to recieve If I go WORDLESS I could share my life through photos... Message me, facebook me, call me, leave a comment or talk to me in person either way let me know your thoughts...

Mason Gregory Garka

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