For Heart Month in February and Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) Awareness Week (February 7-14), the Congenital Heart Public Health Consortium (CHPHC) is sharing stories of resilience. Two new podcasts feature interviews with pediatric cardiology fellow Dr. Thomas Glenn, III and Tawanna Nishibayashi, the mother of a child who has hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
Tune into PediaCast to hear how doctors and parents can work together to support health and wellbeing outcomes for people living with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
Tune into Thriving in the Midst of Chaos to hear how Dr Gleann and Tiwanna build resilience and thrive while living with a congenital heart disease.
With advances in medical technology, the future has never been brighter for people living with CHD. Listen as they share the challenges of surgeries and lifesaving cardiac procedures early in life. Find hope as they share how they overcome anxiety and chronic stresses of living with a complex health condition. Learn from their experiences in self-advocacy to assure access to quality health care, education and mental health services.
In their own words these family members offer their perspective on living with a congenital heart defect (CHD):
CHD and Me: Pregnancy
Daughter’s Fight with CHD Inspires Dad’s Heart-healthy Journey
CHD Mom: Letter to a new CHD mom
CHD Mom: Parenting a child with a CHD
Pediatricians and other professionals in the care team for people and families living with CHD can play an important role in connecting them to support groups. People living with CHD and those who love them are encouraged to connect with others who also have a CHD or a family member with a CHD. Information about supports available to patients and families are available through the following CHPHC member organizations.