Author: Melanie Medina
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Three Heart Attacks Later, I’m Lucky to be Alive
By Delilah Castillo-Nosek Little did I know that my life was about to change in June 2004. On the evening of June 26, I went to bed. Throughout the night, I experienced heartburn (so I thought). I took Pepto-Bismol, but I continued to have discomfort. I could not figure out what was wrong. I…
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You Look Fine From the Outside
By Crystal McCullough You look fine from the outside Breathing, opening and closing your eyes Even giving away sly grins What you can’t see is the twisted anatomy inside The change of oxygen in your blood How it affects your brain But you look fine from the outside Until your scar peeks through A once…
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Dear Heart Parents, Let Yourself Be Angry
By Michelle Bowers Four years later, and I’m still angry. After all these years, I am still mad. Most parents take their babies home — friends and family visit; it’s a joyous occasion. That’s not how I remember May 21, 2014. I woke up that morning with a healthy baby; I went to bed…
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Los Angeles Marathon Legacy Runner Continues His Journey
By Jerry Robinson In 1977, at the age of 34 years, I was diagnosed with a congenital valve abnormality known as a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). At the time, I was feeling well, but was told that some time down the road I would definitely need the valve replaced. I had been exercising pretty…
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Moments That Matter
By Jodi Smith Lemacks, Esq., National Program Director of Mended Little Hearts Mended Little Hearts (MLH) has been supporting families with children who have congenital heart defects/disease (CHD) since 2004, which coincidentally, is the year Facebook was started in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Two MLH groups, one in Hollywood, Florida and one in Fresno, California, began to bring CHD families…
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Q&A with Dallas Heart Mom and Fundraiser Dawn Strauss
By Whitney Reed Whitney became a heart mom in 2015, when her daughter was born with Pulmonary Atresia with VSD. Her daughter has had three open-heart surgeries — one was planned and two were emergencies. Reed lives in Carrollton, Texas, a large suburb outside of Dallas, and is a member of Mended Little Hearts…
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A Heart Mom’s Big Question: ‘Will I Ever See Her as a Child First and a Heart Baby Second?’
By Angela Eilers Angela lives in Southern California and is a member of the local Mended Little Hearts chapter. I’m a heart mom. Eight and a half years ago, I couldn’t begin to tell you what that meant. Now, 8.5 years after my daughter was born and diagnosed, I can tell you being a…
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Preparing an Older Child for Heart Surgery or Cath: From the Experts
Getting through a child’s heart surgery or cardiac catheterization (cath) is hard enough when the child is little and doesn’t really understand what is happening, but preparing an older child or young adult for a major heart procedure can be difficult for parents and for the older child. Luckily, there are experts—the patients themselves…
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Chapter Spotlight: San Luis Obispo, California
It is not surprising that Michael Mariscal has achieved so much with Mended Hearts Chapter 415 so quickly. After his own cardiovascular experiences he decided it was something he needed — and, likely, what others needed as well. His journey in health began with a heart attack in 2007, a time when he lived…
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Access to Life-Saving Medications is Being Denied
“The fight for my PCSK9 took almost two years and highlights the need for us to continue in the fight for access to life-saving medications for all heart patients.” – Donnette Smith, President of Mended Hearts. The non-profit Institute for Patient Access is in the process of revealing health care report cards for all…