Our son was born on January 26, just five months after last year’s heart walk.
He had an EKG in the hospital before we could go home. The doctors cleared him, but recommended a follow-up with our Pediatrician. Our hearts sank when the Pediatrician said, "I hear a murmur" at his first check-up and "his heart rate is lower than I'd like to see". She promptly ordered more tests.
So there we were, walking around the large Shands complex just days after my C-Section for his follow-up EKG and ultrasound appointments. My husband and I felt overwhelmed by it all, terrified at the thought our son had a heart irregularity, and finally, disappointed that these early days as a family could not be spent resting in the comfort of our home.
Then, in the waiting room we saw a pregnant mother, a little girl around the age of 6 and several toddlers, surely there because of similar or worse scenarios. Suddenly, we weren't just thinking about our outcome, our eyes were opened to all the people in the world affected by heart conditions.
Thankfully, in the end, our son was given the all clear. He just had some more developing to do in his first couple months in the outside world. With multiple family members having suffered heart attacks and stroke, the importance of heart health was known to us, but the new-found awareness of babies and young people gave us new passion to this cause.
We're all tied to heart disease and stroke in some way. We have to change that. Will you help me?
Your donation will fund groundbreaking research that literally keeps hearts beating and helps people have longer, healthier lives.
This year, as we celebrate the Centennial of the American Heart Association, we will move health and well-being forward in important and critical ways. This relentless pursuit will continue until heart disease and stroke no longer exist.
Have a heart and help me reach my goal today.
