Oliver is Why!
JOIN ME IN SUPPORTING THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION!
My son, Oliver, is my heart hero.
Many of you who have supported our fundraising efforts in the past, know our story. If you haven't read it before, feel free to read on. This is a meaningful piece of our family history, and one we feel compelled to share year after year.
As a new mom in 2015, I was doing my best to manage all that comes with having a brand new baby. At his four month well-child visit to the pediatrician, we decided Oliver's heart murmur deserved a closer look, and made an appointment with a pediatric cardiologist. Expecting to have his murmur be classified as innocent, my world was rocked when I was told it was anything but innocent. I vividly remember hearing his diagnosis and immediate need for open heart surgery and being so confused by all of it. I couldn't comprehend how my baby could look and act as any normal 4 month-old but have a defect in his makeup that could take his life.
On Friday August 28, 2015 Oliver, at 6 months old, had his heart repaired at Boston Children's Hospital. His incredible surgeon Dr. Kaza and cardiologist Dr. Friedman walked us through the procedure and made sure we knew what to expect before, during and after his surgery. We said goodbye to Oliver and left him in the capable hands of the experts. The minutes felt like hours and the hours felt like days. When Dr. Kaza told us the surgery had been successful and he was able to repair a large ventricle septal defect in Oliver's heart, the relief was overwhelming. Dr. Kaza then handed us the leftover piece of fabric from which he had repaired the hole, and it all hit home. The doctors and nurses who care for our heart heroes are truly heroes themselves.
The rest of that weekend at the hospital was a blur- Oliver recovered faster than any of us could have anticipated, he even managed to learn how to sit up for the first time, and pushed out a new tooth. By Tuesday morning he was ready to be discharged.
He has continued to thrive, and is now a busy 9 year old farm kid. He loves being outside, working on the farm and teaching (and, lets be serious, bossing around) his younger brothers Henry and Guthrie. Oliver is compassionate and thoughtful, and while school is not always his favorite, he has made such progress and is now a proud reader. Not to mention he is loved by peers and teachers alike.
Through detection, diagnosis and repair of his CHD, we are watching Oliver grow up without anything slowing him down, including his heart.
It is because of my ignorance before his diagnosis that I am committed to doing as much as I can to raise awareness for congenital heat defects. Every Spring, I rally our team for the Southern Maine Heart Walk to do my part to help provide a better, heart-healthy future for the generations to come, including Oliver's.
Oliver will most likely live a normal life with only the scar to remind him of his repaired heart. We must raise awareness for all the other heart warriors out there who are fighting every day; for the heart angels who have lost their battles with this senseless condition.
And for our heart hero, who makes every day an adventure.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
