I have very little time to post, am headed to my Grandpa's 90Th birthday party. So, I am going to write some now... and plan to come back and add more later (hopefully today). Make sure you come back!!!
Your child has a CHD...
Your child had a STROKE...
In my opinion, those two diagnosis' are equally devastating to hear... I have heard both, so I think that my opinion is important!!!
Whichever you have heard, or if you have heard both... the feelings are so much the same! Very scary, confusing, devastating!
Once we learn more about the diagnosis... and begin to understand what it will mean in our lives... we all tend to head the same direction! We want to spread awareness, we want to support research, we want a prevention, we want an answer about WHY this happens way too often!
So, I believe that these two diagnosis' are intertwined!!! Our situation is, even more so... with both diagnosis, and I am finding others too!
So how can we join together to make a difference? There is already established, a "HEART" community, and same with the "STROKE" community. If we spread each other's words... what a difference we could make! And what is this all for? It is about protecting our children!!! There are so many tragedies out there, affecting our children... imagine if your child had a CHD, then suddenly they had CANCER too, or your child had a STROKE, but went undiagnosed with a CHD till later on, or your child has a CHD, then they have a STROKE too! Why wait, to support each other??? We have all, already learned... that it CAN HAPPEN TO YOU! So lets do all that we can, to support each other!!! That is my thoughts, at least!
Correct me if I am wrong (nicely please), but I think that the biggest thing the stroke community is trying to make people aware of... is that kids (baby's in utero/newborns/ infants/toddlers/ and so on) CAN HAVE STROKES!!! And the earlier the diagnosis, the better outcome (typically) diagnosis means delayed treatment... which results in permanent loss or difficulties, that could of been prevented.
Again, correct me if I am wrong... but the heart community wants to raise awareness that, 1 in 100 babies are born with some type of heart defect... and that these defects can go undetected, without tests to specifically look for the CHD. And some of those babies, will not survive because of the lack of diagnosis early on.
Yes, there are other issues we want to spread awareness about... but the bottom line is, we want to save parents and children from falling victim to these horrible outcomes.
So, if we go to our local hospital... and we ask them to be aware of one of the issues... how hard would it be, to mention the other too!!! Knowledge is the key to saving these children's lives, and preventing heartache for their parents!!!
So I ask you... however you are spreading awareness/raising funding/etc... Why not include both issues! After all, we know that there is very little funding for CHD research, and there is very little research being done for pediatric strokes... you could make a difference in so many lives!!!
I hope that others, will understand my desire to come together!!! Our children are all heroes, just on different paths... some paths are more alike than others... but we love them all the same!
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