Adrienne's Blog

I have found another blog. Mind you, I don’t go looking for blogs. I know there are dozens out there that share a story similar to mine that are still uniquely personal, but I could get caught in a trap of reading blog after blog and never get anything done. And yet, when it is one that someone recommends to me directly or I have a personal connection to, I can’t help but feel that heart mom is a part of me and want to learn more.

Sue mentioned a some weeks ago a blog she was following about a baby born the same time as her Sam. However, as I just said, it’s hard enough for me to keep up with my own blog, and I forgot to check it out right away. Meanwhile, some friends of ours mentioned that they knew of someone in their brother’s family who recently had a baby with the same condition as Merideth. As they described the details, I realized it was the same family Sue was talking about (even though Sue told me that family lived in Provo and the blog I was reading started out in California!). Reading about Cali has brought back many memories of the unknowns while expecting Merideth. In addition to an underdeveloped left ventricle, little Cali was born with some other weakened parts of her heart. She did have surgery within the first days of birth, but her body could not support the trauma of it and she passed away after 7days.

I feel like I have found another instant friend in Adrienne, and I appreciate the personal feelings she has shared. I look forward to getting to know her better and to be strengthened by her own experience as we share our feelings of having a child pass away so recently. Her blog is: www.tomady.blogspot.com

For a condition that consists of only 1% of birth defects, HLHS sure seems incredibly prevalent. I think part of that is just my awareness of it now. A friend of mine said it’s kind of like when you get a new car: you never noticed that particular car before, but now that you are driving one, it seems like you see the same model and color everywhere. That makes sense to me and why I keep meeting heart families. But I am still intrigued that not only do I keep finding heart families, it is because someone—or often more than one person—I know knows that family.

I marvel over the different path each of my heart friends has been impressed to follow: Grant has had multiple surgeries and many complications but is growing and developing well; Cali, on the other hand underwent surgery but did not have the same outcome; Sam’s family cherished the time they had with him without choosing surgery; and Tristan’s little heart was so tender that surgery was not even a viable option. In each of these unique circumstances, faith has been tested but also increased, and each family will testify of the power and hand of God in their life. As I consider the complex spectrum each of us has found ourselves on, I just find it interesting to contemplate that there is not one simple or all-encompassing answer to the life-altering news that each of us has faced sometime in the past year when we learned of our baby’s problem. I do know that the challenges and decisions I have had to face have made me a better person, and in its own special way, I am grateful for my own package of trials and growth that this experience has given me.