Heart To Heart With Anna

Send us a textToday's episode of Heart to Heart with Anna shows how a heart mom - inspired by her daughter's determination - has begun a successful small business. The guest for this exciting episode is Jessie Wimmer, who is a heart mom from Charlotte, NC. She has two beautiful children: Noah and Sparrow, who was born with a congenital heart defect. Jessie will tell us about the miracle she - and doctors - witnessed in her daughter's life, and how that propelled her towards succeeding in her business: The Cookie Cult.Thanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, Carter & Faye Mayberry, and Frank Jaworski. We appreciate you!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Send us a textHave you ever felt like things are just getting out of hand or getting away from you? Is the stress of being a caregiver affecting the way you relate to others? On today's episode we will discuss the topic of Compassion Fatigue, which is present in many who care for others, including nurses, paramedics, physicians, and even parents of children with congenital heart defects. Today's guest is Daniel Miles, the Assistant Director of Spiritual Education at Carolinas Medical Center. We're going to learn what Compassion Fatigue is, how to notice symptoms, risk factors, and practical approaches to preventing Compassion Fatigue.Thanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, Carter & Faye Mayberry, and Frank Jaworski. We appreciate you!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInst

Send us a textChris Perez is a Heart Dad from North Carolina. His son Nolan was born in 2012 with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. For almost 2 years he's written a blog called Half Heart. Whole Life: an HLHS Dad's blog, where he lays out the life of a Heart Dad with honesty and humor. On today's episode, Chris will be presenting an update to the well-known essay "Welcome to Holland." This essay has been read by many since it was written in 1987: today Chris will give it a fresh new spin!Thanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, Carter & Faye Mayberry, and Frank Jaworski. We appreciate you!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Send us a textThis episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna" is the final episode of Season 5: Miracles DO Happen! We started Season Five with a miracle story about a woman who found out after she gave birth that her son had a critical congenital heart defect and who was in the right place at the right time to receive the treatment he needed to survive. This episode, likewise, deals with the discovery after birth that a baby boy was born with congenital heart defects. This show not only deals with the discovery after birth but also with the intercession of an angel who might very well have helped to save this baby's life. Our Guests for this show include Rebekah Simpson and her mother Susan Mills who both witnessed a miracle.Thanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, Carter & Faye Mayberry, and Frank Jaworski. We appreciate you!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout

Send us a textThose who have been through the trauma of having open-heart surgeries and dealing with all of the situations that accompany them have many choices. They can choose to be positive and to see the bright side, even when things get difficult or they can choose to feel negative and like what is happening to them is unfair. Survivors can choose to let their heart defects define them or they can choose to live a quality life despite their difficulties.Sometimes a person used her personal trauma to empathetically reach out to others. That's what this show is all about. Tune in to hear how a CHD Survivor has used her experiences to reach out to others -- specifically to children with learning and medical disabilities. Discover the miracles she has witnessed over the years and the good that can come of living a challenging life.Today's show, "The Miracle of Giving Back" features CHD Survivor and special education teacher Catherine Scavone.***Thanks to Stuart Miles of FreeDigitalPhotos.

Send us a textMany mothers believe their babies are miracles, but few know that to be a fact like mothers of children born with broken hearts. When mothers are told their unborn or newborn babies have something wrong with their hearts, the news is devastating. When mothers see their littles one fight for their lives and survive open-heart surgeries only to have difficulty feeding, gaining weight and still looking blue, they may all but despair.Today's show will feature a mother who has seen all of that and more! Difficulty with feeding, feeding tubes, the fear that the heart defect may be genetic and thus worries over having a second child are all issues that our Guest, Angela Gilbert, has faced head on thanks to her son being born with transposition of the great arteries. Tune in to hear how she faced these issues, how her son, Gary, was able to overcome these obstacles and many more to become a healthy 16-year old teenager and what advice she has for other parents facing the same problems she has encou

Send us a textSome people are born with broken hearts that seem to function adequately for years before they start to decline and become unable to sufficiently support life. With the invention of pacemakers, ventricular assist devices, and defibrillators, it seems that even broken hearts can function for quite a while with the miracles of modern medicine. But sometimes, even these magical devices or the amazing drugs that can slow hearts down or speed hearts up are not enough. When this happens, people must be listed for a heart transplant. What happens when you're listed for a heart transplant? What miracles are involved with receiving a donor heart? Today's show will focus on two gentlemen -- one who has received a heart and another who is on the heart transplant list. Tune in to hear what miracles they have witnessed or experienced and what advice they have for others. ***Image courtesy of kittijaroon at FreeDigitalPhotos.netThanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patron

Send us a textMiracles seem to be all around us, but some miracles are thanks to the great strides made in the field of pediatric cardiology. What kind of advances have been made over the years? What are some techniques being used that can save untold numbers of lives? How, exactly, are babies or children benefiting from the developments in pediatric cardiology?This show will feature the mother of two daughters who is grateful for the advances in pediatric cardiology and how those advances have personally affected her life. Tune in to hear how Sharisse Roberts feels she has a medical miracle living with her and the advice she has for others who find themselves being told their unborn child will be born with a congenital heart defect.Thanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, Carter & Faye Mayberry, and Frank Jaworski. We appreciate you!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Aff

Send us a textWhat happens when you're told your baby's only hope for survival is a heart transplant and that even with that there were no guarantees? When parents rely on faith, instead of on medical "facts," can they possibly be granted a miracle? Tune in to hear Kristi Pena discuss her experience with having a son with Barth Syndrome -- a son she admitted to hospice care at 45 days of age -- a son who has beaten the odds time and again. Kristi's story is full of miracles which depended on faith in God as the Almighty Healer.Thanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, Carter & Faye Mayberry, and Frank Jaworski. We appreciate you!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Send us a textWhen parents are told their children will be born with a heart defect, they often wonder what kind of life their children will have. Will they constantly be hospitalized? Will they have to endure one surgery after another? Will they be able to run and play with other children? Then as our children age and start answering some of those early questions we parents have new questions popping into our minds. Will our children graduate? Go to the prom? Have a first love? Then even more serious questions enter our minds. Will our children find someone to love and who will love them, despite the fact that they have a heart defect? Will our children be able to have children of their own? If they do have children, will those children be born with heart defects? So many of us parents have a million questions and as our children age, our questions seem to multiply. This show is the first show to feature only the spouse of an adult born with a critical congenital heart defect. Tune in to hear Brittany tell u

Send us a textWhen children survived the early heart surgeries of the 1940s, ‘50s and 60s, it was often considered miraculous. It is because of amazing doctors Dr. Robert Gross, Dr. Helen Taussig, Dr. Alfred Blalock, Dr. William Rashkind (and far too many others for me to mention) that we now have over 1 million adult survivors of congenital heart defects in the United States alone. Today’s show is The Miracle of Growing Up with a Congenital Heart Defect and features Diane Pucci, an adult born with a congenital heart defect who has seen pediatric cardiology grow and change as she has grown and changed.Thanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, Carter & Faye Mayberry, and Frank Jaworski. We appreciate you!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Send us a textSeason Five of "Heart to Heart with Anna" has focused on miracles that happen in the congenital heart defect community. The first 4 shows were all about miracles that took place in the United States of America. Today's show will feature a very special dad in Pakistan who has not only witnessed miracles, but who has been partially responsible for these miracles occurring. What happens when you live in a country that doesn't have a hospital to treat children with heart defects -- especially when you have a daughter born with a heart defect? How can one man make a difference? What advice does this father have for his countrymen and all parents of children with congenital heart defects? Tune in to find out!Thanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, Carter & Faye Mayberry, and Frank Jaworski. We appreciate you!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout

Send us a textSometimes a person is with us for only a short period of time and yet that person leaves a legacy that touches others forever. That is the case with little Mary Beth Miller. Tune in to her her mother and father talk about her life, the miracles they witnessed and how one little girl influenced others to pass a law to save countless other babies born with the number one birth defect -- which often goes undetected until it's too late. What makes a parent decide to talk to lawmakers with the hope that a child's life would not be in vain?Thanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, Carter & Faye Mayberry, and Frank Jaworski. We appreciate you!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Send us a textWhat happens when you are a nurse and the father of a child who is perfectly healthy when all of a sudden you are the father of a baby with a chronic illness but nobody believes you when you say something is wrong? What lessons can be learned from a situation like that? What events transpired? How is it that the baby's survival could be viewed as a miracle? What conditions existed to allow the "miracle" to occur? Frank Jaworski is a certified registered nurse anesthetist who experienced this situation. In this show he'll reflect on what happened when his second son was born with a critical congenital heart defect which went undiagnosed until the baby was in congestive heart failure. He'll also share, as a medical professional, what he learned as a nurse and how others can benefit from his experience.Thanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, C

Send us a textThere are hundreds of thousands of children awaiting adoption around the world. In the United States alone, according to the Adopt America Network, there are 130,000 children in the U.S. foster care system waiting to be adopted. Children are awaiting adoption for many reasons.Children with medical issues can be more difficult to place with adoptive families. While adopting a child with special medical needs can be frightening, it can also be the answer to prayer. Adoptive parents have a chance to make a miracle happen, but one of the most amazing things to witness is how much joy the adopted child can bring to a special family.Today's show will feature an adoptive mother who, along with her supportive husband, decided to adopt a child with a congenital heart defect. Tune in to hear about the miracles that have happened since Becky and Joe adopted little Tess. You'll also learn about what adoptive parents need to be aware of once they've made the decision to adopt a child with spec

Send us a textHaving twins seems like a miracle all by itself, but our Guest, Kathy Kolodzinski has a remarkable story to share. Listen to her as she shares the miracle of birth, how her son's undiagnosed congenital heart defect could have taken his life shortly after birth and how one decision, different than she made with the birth of her other children, just might have contributed to the miracle in her son's life. To read about the story of Kathy's birth experience, check out her blog: http://lovinlifewithkids.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-twins-birth-story-part-1.htmlThanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, Carter & Faye Mayberry, and Frank Jaworski. We appreciate you!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Send us a textCardiac athletes are all around us. There are athletes who develop heart problems or who discover, after they have been athletes for a while, that there heart has some imperfections that may require surgery and there are people who were born with heart defects who have a great desire to become an athlete and to enjoy the benefits of regular exercise. Lars Andrews, a cardiac physiologist, has created a website and an organization to eradicate heart disease. His organization serves thousands of athletes around the world. Cardiac Athletes is the world's largest online community for sporting heart patients, offering an unprecedented breadth and depth of help, support, advice and fulfilling our Mission of alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life. Listen to today's show to learn more about Lars, why he created this program, how athletes can help themselves, even if they have had open-heart surgery and learn about the book that Lars has put together, "Cardiac Athletes: Real

Send us a textChild Protective Services is supposed to help children who may be neglected or abused but what kind of damage can they exact when they interfere with a family who has a child with a complicated medical history -- including a congenital heart defect?How could this organization pull a family apart? Did the child’s congenital heart defect play a pivotal role in CPS’ decision to remove that child from the family? How can other families safeguard their own families from a similar event occurring?We’ll discover the answers to those questions and more in today’s show which is entitled “How Child Protective Services Almost Destroyed One Heart Family.”Special thanks to jesadaphorn of www.freedigitalphotos.net for the use of the image in on this page.Thanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, Carter & Faye Mayberry, and Frank Jaworski. We appreciate you!Support the showAnna

Send us a textNow, more than ever before, parents are finding out in utero if their baby will be born with some kind of congenital birth defect. One potentially fatal congenital heart defect is hypoplastic left heart syndrome (or HLHS). According to Texas Children's Hospital, this occurs in about 1 in 6,000 live births when the fetus's left side of the heart does not develop normally. Boston Children's Hospital led the way for babies diagnosed in utero with HLHS by creating an in utero procedure to reduce the severity of HLHS or, in some cases, to prevent the critical congenital heart defect from actually occurring -- allowing the baby's heart to eventually work with four pumping chambers (instead of the 2 chambers so many HLHS babies have). Today's show will feature a couple who traveled to Boston when they discovered their unborn child would have HLHS. How dangerous was the surgery? How many surgeries did their son need? What is their son's prognosis? Listen to this show for an

Send us a textHaving twins is a very special occurrence since it doesn't happen all that often. What happens when you have twins but one, or both of them, have a congenital heart defect? How does that affect other children in the same family? Will you be able to breastfeed your twins? Today's guests can answer those questions since both are moms of heart-healthy children and children born with critical congenital heart defects. Tune in to hear Kathy Kolodzinski and Roxanne Montalvo-Tsai tell their stories about having twins in the congenital heart defect community. (Thanks to David Castillo Dominici with http://www.freedigitalphotos.com for the image!)Thanks to our newest HUG Patron, Ayrton Beatty and long-standing Patrons: Laura Redfern, Pam Davis, Michael Liben, Nancy Jensen, Alicia Lynch, Deena Barber, Carlee McGuire, Carter & Faye Mayberry, and Frank Jaworski. We appreciate you!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFac