Coworker
I am writing to raise awareness of Congenital Heart Disease. I must confess that I did not know or think about such things just a few months ago. In my small realm of knowledge, women got pregnant, had babies, and that was that. Who would think that a precious little baby would have a heart problem? Needless to say, my understanding of life, pregnancy, and Congenital Heart Disease has changed drastically over the past six months. It all started with a new friend.
When I took a new job teaching fifth grade at a new school two years ago, I met this amazing woman named Shannon. She is sweet, kind, and one of those people who you just automatically know will make a wonderful mom. By the end of our first year teaching together, she and her husband had made the decision to start a family.
I remember when I first heard the news. I was so excited! The baby was doing fine, and Shannon was happy and healthy. And then, suddenly, everything changed. Shannon had a doctor's appointment, and it did not go as planned. The doctors thought something might be wrong with the baby's heart. I, along with many others, started praying then…that the doctors would be wrong, that the baby, little Derrick, would be born perfectly healthy. But, for reasons we cannot see or understand, that was not to be.
Derrick was born with a congenital heart defect. Among other things, one of the chambers in his heart is too small to function, causing problems with the amount of oxygen his blood carries. It is hard for me to imagine that a little baby like that, only weighing about 7 lbs., can have open heart surgery, but that is exactly what happened. Eight days after he was born, he had surgery. He will have to have two more surgeries by the age of three just to save his life.
So here is my question: why is more research not being done in this area? It's amazing to me that one in 100 babies born will have a heart defect. Congenital Heart Disease is the number one killer of children. We have all heard the stories of children with cancer, and I am very proud of all the work and studies that have been done to help those kids, but why don't we hear more about Congenital Heart Defects? It took my friend having a baby with this situation for me to even know or consider the possibility of a child having a heart defect. Now I think about it all the time. What if my own children fall into this statistic? What can we do? What can I do? Something has to be done. In a nation so blessed in medical and technological advancements, we cannot allow Congenital Heart Disease to be the number one killer of children anymore. With more research, more money, more awareness, we can change this statistic. We need to do something to help these little babies. The little babies who already have scars that will never go away. The little babies who will spend their first few years of life in hospitals. The little babies whose moms and dads constantly worry about skin color and oxygenated blood. The little babies who could not be held during their first weeks of life because of the life-sustaining tubes coming out of their small, delicate bodies. Together, we can make a difference in these children's lives. I know there are many worthy causes in the world, but please help little Derrick and children like him. Please help change the statistics of Congenital Heart Disease. Please help this cause.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Hazelwood