7 Months

It has been seven months since Lynnea passed away.  Since February is American Heart Month, and Feb. 7-14 is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness week, I have decided to share some statistics about heart defects:

• Congenital heart defects are America’s #1 birth defect. Nearly one of every 100 babies is born with a CHD (almost 1% of all children born each year!).
• Congenital heart defects are the #1 cause of birth defect related deaths. 1 in 3 children who die from a birth defect have a congenital heart defect.
• This year almost 40,000 babies will be born with a congenital heart defect.
• This year approximately 4,000 babies will not live to see their first birthday because of Congenital Heart Defects.
• In the U.S. twice as many children die from congenital heart defects each year than from all forms of childhood cancer combined. Yet funding for research of pediatric cancer is 5 times greater.
• From 1993 to 2003 death rates for congenital heart defects have declined by 31% due to advances made through research!  

Personally, I feel that "awareness" is about more than just knowing the statistical data, but that's a good place to start.  Being aware of how many families are faced with the kinds of challenges and heartbreak that we went through with Lynnea is being aware of how many families need the same kind of loving support network that helped us get through the challenges that we were faced with.  Keep all of the other heart families in your thoughts and prayers as each of them struggle with impossible choices, long hospital stays, and all too often saying their final goodbyes to their children.