It may be valentines day but it is also sweetheart day, a day of awarness for those and their families living with Congenital Heart disease. No two people have the same CHD, it is the number 1 leading cause of death of children under one, sadly 4 children a week die from CHD and 8 babies a day are born with a heart defect in Australia. Yet there is no cure. At age 3 my parents rushed me to see a GP with a bad flu, the Dr noticed i had a heart murmur but said nothing to worry about and i would outgrow it by 10. At 5 years i had a general check up where a specialist Dr picked up that i had two holes and a leaky mitral valve, they couldn't believe that it hadnt been noticed earlier and told my parents i had a guardian Angel. I was told i would be wheelchair bound by 15 with a life expectancy of 30 without surgery and so began my heart journey. I'm proving those Drs that you can live a fulfilling life with CHD and at 26 years old im smashing it. ...
Born with an ASD, VSD & leaky mitral valve ive had 3 open heart surgeries at age 5,18 & 26. I now have a mechanical mitral valve as well as 100% pacemaker dependant due to complete heart block. This is my story of life with Congenital Heart Disease and hope my experiences can educate, create awarness and help others living with a life-long illness