Blog
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The Power of Art
Art comes in many forms, but no matter the medium, it allows us to express what words may not. In honor of Inspire Your Heart with Art Day, Evelyn Mix, artist and Heart Mom, shares with us how creating “Behind the Smiles” helped her process life as part of the heart community and connect with…
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Hope for Research in the New Year
The more patients that survive into their teen an adult years, the greater the need to improve long term outcomes and quality of life. Physical Therapist Casey Vogel studies the impact of exercise in those with CHD on overall health.
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The Unsung Member of Our Care Team
When we think of our Cardiac Care Team, pharmacist doesn’t immediately come to mind. But the truth is they play a very important role in our care. This week’s blog comes to us from Dr. Ashley Schenk, Cardiac Pharmacist and adult with CHD. She shares just how much more than filling prescriptions there is to…
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Marilyn’s CHD Roller Coaster
Marilyn is a CHD pioneer, witnessing the progress of cardiac care over the course of seven decades. A true marvel, Marilyn has lived an amazing life, full of ups and downs, but never losing hope. Have you ever tried explaining what it’s like living with a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD)? It’s like explaining a roller…
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Worth Every Single Minute
Growing up with CHD, we were often focused on staying healthy or recovering from various procedures, we may not have had the chance to consider how CHD may impact our future life goals, like starting a family. Planning for pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood comes with a lot of uncertainty for women with CHD, often leading…
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It’s the Living Part that Matters
When Julie’s daughter Rose was born with a CHD in 1984, she knew the road ahead wouldn’t be easy, but she was determined to make the years, however many there would be, count. No one ever thinks that one day they will need to pick out a headstone for their child’s grave. No one ever…
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Our Beautiful Boy – JT’s Story
My husband, Michael, and I had been trying to have a baby for over three years (through gestational surrogacy), and after several failed attempts and a miscarriage, we finally made it to the second trimester! When Michael, Michelle (our surrogate), and I attended the 20-week anatomy scan, we were shocked to find out that our…
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Be the Helpers
There is so much out of our control as fathers, as parents. But what we can control is what we teach our children: to stand up for what is right, to love each other for who we are, and to be kind. In his latest blog, Heart Dad, Chris Perez shares how we, after times…
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Feeling Out of Place as an Adult with Congenital Heart Disease
With the ever-growing adult CHD population, the question of where and how to treat these patients looms large overhead. For now, ACHD patients have to muddle through a system not truly designed for their needs. No one wants to be in the hospital. No one wants to think of one as home. Unfortunately, for many…
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The Foligno Family
“We don’t look at the world with rose-colored glasses, but we are optimists through and through. We believe in turning obstacles into opportunity, that forward is a mindset, and that there are tools to help us at any place you find yourself on life’s journey.”
