Hopeful Hearts Foundation

You know those memories that flash before you and seem like they were yesterday? He was only 3 years old, yet I can remember it perfectly. It had been only under a year that his twin sister, also born with CHD, truncus arteriosus, had passed away due to complications with her heart. We held tightly to his hospital bed as we walked down the familiar long halls of the hospital, dreading each step towards the hand off. Born with TOF, his second open heart surgery was about to... take place. As the large double doors opened, and the doctors took his bed, his sedated eyes looked into ours and he murmured, when will I see you again?. Trying to keep back the tears, we kissed his forehead and told him very soon. Knowing it wasn’t a promise we were privileged to make, we said, mommy and daddy will be there as soon as you wake up. As the doors closed my husband held me in his arms as I started to cry. He too understood the weight of the empty promise. As we gave it to her our daughter who never woke back up to us. She had went to be with Jesus. We started to pray and that day we made a vow. We vowed to give our son his OWN story. Not his sisters, or other CHD friends we knew, but his very own. A vow that has been difficult to keep, but God has met us in that place of fear and doubt every time and reminds us of psalm 139. As I look at these pictures I’m reminded of how God has used CHD in our son’s life. It has not defined him, yet has refined him in such amazing ways! This past Saturday, our foundation Hopeful Hearts, was honored to once again partner with UCLA and Dr. Mark Sklansky for the ninth Annual Fetal echocardiography Symposium at UCLA. Our son, now 14, shared his OWN story with compassion and wit before a large audience. He stood there honoring his twin sister’s life, his 10 year old sister also born with CHD, and all affected by CHD. Words cannot express how we as parents are so proud of his strength and were he has come. Each adult and child born with CHD deserves their OWN story. May CHD continue to refine and not define. And to the parents and families of those gone before us, remember their story lives on through us. Terra

In a groundbreaking study, University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers have created heart valves that can grow with the recipient. If approved for use, the ...new valves could reduce the number of lifetime surgeries needed for children with congenital heart defects. This is a huge step forward in pediatric heart research, said senior researcher Robert Tranquillo. Learn more. https://bit.ly/39vP4oo #CHDawareness | #Innovation | #CongenitalHeartDefect

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first in the world non-surgical heart valve to treat pediatric and adult patients with a native or surgically-repaired right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT), the part of the heart that carries blood out of the right ventricle to the lungs. https://www.fda.gov//fda-approves-first-world-device-treat

Arnold was born with a CHD called Bicuspid Aortic Valve with aortic stenosis, which causes the heart to pump harder than usual to get blood through the aortic valve. The method the doctors used to fix his aortic valve in the 90s was called a Ross procedure, where you take the person’s native pulmonic valve, move it to the aortic position and then replace the missing pulmonic valve. He had his pulmonary valve replaced via open heart surgery 2 years ago and his aortic valve replaced on Thursday. https://www.today.com//arnold-schwarzenegger-recovering-he

We wanted to share some of our past CHD memes with you given that this year has been so difficult. We know everyone could use a laugh! Would you like us to make more?

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Please join us in the International Wave of Light by lighting a candle at 7 p.m. to honor and remember our angels. #chd #chdawareness #1in100 #pregnancyandinfantlossawareness

Apple today announced Apple Watch Series 6, introducing a revolutionary Blood Oxygen feature that offers users even more insight into their overall wellbeing. https://www.apple.com//apple-watch-series-6-delivers-brea/