TODAY, ON FEBRUARY 8, THOMAS JAY ANDERSON, MY SON, ACCEPTED A PROCLAMATION FROM MAYOR HOBART, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA, DECLARING FEBRUARY 7-14 AS CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT AWARENESS WEEK. THOMAS IS A CHD WARRIOR/SURVIVOR, AND HAD OPEN HEART SURGERY FOR TETRALOGY OF FALLOT WHEN HE WAS 8 MONTHS OLD. HE IS NOW A 7 1/2 YEAR OLD IN 2ND GRADE, WHO LOVES TO PLAY BASEBALL AND BASKETBALL AND HIS FAVORITE SUBJECT IS MATH. HAD TO SHARE THIS, AS THIS WAS A SPECIAL MOMENT FOR OUR SIOUX CITY FAMILY, AS OUR 20 MONTH OLD, JONATHAN ANTHONY ANDERSON, IS ALSO A CHD WARRIOR/SURVIVOR, BORN WITH TRANSPOSITION OF THE GREAT ARTERIES, DOUBLE OUTLET RIGHT VENTRICLE, AND PULMONARY ATRESIA, AND HAS GONE THROUGH 2 HEART CATHS AND 2 OPEN HEART SURGERIES ALREADY; HE'S FULL OF SPUNK AND ATTITUDE AND HAS CAUGHT UP SO MUCH, EVEN AFTER SPENDING 3 MONTHS IN THE HOSPITAL FROM BIRTH UNTIL NOW! I ALSO SPOKE A FEW WORDS THANKING THEM FOR THIS PROCLAMATION, BUT IT WAS SUCH A HEART WARMING EXPERIENCE, I HAD TO MUMBLE THROUGH IT A BIT AND GOT CHOKED UP A FEW MOMENTS:
Thank you Mayor Hobart...I will proudly accept this proclamation from Sioux City, on behalf of all CHD Warriors, in declaring February 7-14 as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week! ♥ ♥ ♥ God Bless all of our CHD Warriors and Angels and Families ♥ ♥ ♥ I am blessed with 2 CHD Warriors and SURVIVORS, Thomas and Jonathan, and my son Samuel, my husband, and myself will ALWAYS stand by and help our boys push for more AWARENESS and RESEARCH ♥ ♥ ♥ I hope with this continued support from our city and state for awareness, that more expecting mothers won't ONLY have ultrasounds done to see what the sex of their baby is, but also, at the same time take an extra 15 minutes in having an echocardiogram done, to makes sure their babies’ hearts look good and HEALTHY, and with this, will also have mandatory oximetry tests done on ALL newborns, which is cost effective and takes less than 5 minutes, to possibly save a babies' life. Without the oximetry test and our amazing doctor's intuition, Thomas may not be here today, and because of Thomas' pre-existing condition, we were given echocardiograms on both Samuel and Jonathan, while I was pregnant, where most wouldn't have been given this test, and we found out about Jonathan's severe heart condition. Because of the results of the echocardiogram, the doctor’s were ready to perform emergency surgery hours after Jonathan was born and his life was saved. Thank you again, Mayor Mike Hobart, the Council members, and all of Sioux City for your continued support. I truly believe this is a step forward in saving many of our children’s lives. Thank you and God Bless.
MOMENTS LIKE THESE MAKE ME SEE HOPE FOR OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE, AND OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN'S FUTURES. THIS ONE WAS FOR ALL THE CHDers (ANGELS AND SURVIVORS)!!! ♥ ♥ ♥
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