CHD Awareness Week

Hello everyone!!  Well,  I know it's been a moment since I posted anything, so I figured now was as good a time as any!  First, let me start by saying....THE GREEN BAY PACKERS ARE SUPER BOWL XLV CHAMPIONS!!!!!!  Ahem.  Ok.  Now that that is out of the way....;).  Needless to say, it was a crazy afternoon/evening over here at the GFL this past Sunday as we watched the Green Bay Packers face off vs the Pittsburgh Steelers.  (Boo! Hiss!)  We had a great time, lots of friends, plenty of food, and lots of yelling and screaming!

The main focus of my post today, however, has to do with a subject that is near and dear to my heart.  February 7th- 14th is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week.  CHD strikes 1 in every 100 children.  It also takes twice as many young lives than any form of childhood cancer, yet receives 1/5th the funding of Pediatric Cancer.  My little Atticus is one of those 1 in 100.  (Technically, with his defect, he's about 1 in 10,000!)  Without the advances in research, particularly within the last 30 years, my sweet boy wouldn't be with me here today.  Having a child with CHD radically changes your world.  Every aspect of daily life takes on new challenges, but there is always hope.  Hope for the future, hope for advances in medicine, and hope for a cure.  I'd like to end this post with what I like to call the Heart Mama's Prayer.  I can't take credit as the author, but it certainly expresses EXACTLY how I feel.  Enjoy, and help spread awareness for these precious little babies!!


Heart Mama's Prayer:

I pray that no other parent shall have to hear those words "Congenital Heart Defect".

I pray that no other parent shall have to sacrifice time with their "healthy" children because you can't be in 2 places at once.

I pray that no other parent has to see their child eat with a tube because just sucking a bottle makes them tired and sick.

I pray that no other parent has to make the decision to have their child's chest cracked open and heart stopped.

I pray that no other parent has to endure the torture of seeing their child cry his eyes out, yet not hear a sound.

I pray that no other parent shall have to get instructions on how to hold their child - this should be instinct.

I pray that no other parent has an empty crib waiting for it's owner to come home from the hospital, if at all.

I pray that no other child should have to go through all this pain, yet still lose their fight in the end.

I pray for awareness.

I pray for research.

I pray for a cure.