Verse of the Day

Isaiah 40:31
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

My story begins at birth. Due to the fact that I was born with my heart defect in 1978 there wasn’t a whole lot of options back then other than wait and see what happens. I had blue lips, fingers, and toes and I was underweight all my life. I was sick, but I felt ok. Normal for me, though, I couldn’t play as much as my friends because I would get tired easily and that frustrated me but for the most part I had a great childhood. Well, minus all the heart caths and checkups that is. I started to get really sick around 10 and 11 years old. My energy level was decreasing and my heart size was increasing. So in 1991 the doctors told my parents that I need to have heart surgery to live. It was that simple. The Fontan procedure wasn’t being done in Houston at the time and the best place to have it done was The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. So that’s where we went. I went up in 1991 for a review, checkup, and meet and greet with the doctors. The next summer on June 26, 1992 I had my very first open heart surgery. Continue reading “Open Heart Surgery – The Fontan Procedure” →