CHD and COVID-19 | Share Your Heart Essay Contest Winner | Age Group: Child Grades 6�8

By Grace Hollenbach

CHD and COVID-19

To say that my brother�s congenital heart defect has affected my life would be an understatement, in my opinion. I think an more accurate answer would be that it has turned my world upside down. Samuel was basically born with half a heart, to keep it simple. He was born when I was 6, I was just excited that I got to see my grandparents all the time and stay with them while he was in the hospital. He had his third heart surgery when I was about 9. I loved bringing my robot to the hospital and driving Dash (the robot) up and down the hallways, while Samuel followed with his oxygen hookup. At one point, I even wanted to do that for other kids like the clowns that came into Samuel�s room. I wanted to be the robot lady. Of course, I was 9 at the time so that never really happened.

Back before COVID-19 hit, I never really wished that Samuel didn�t have a heart condition. I mean, I got to go to Disney World when Samuel�s wish was granted by Make-A-Wish so I wasn�t really complaining. As time went on, I had a pretty regular life. School, more school, summer, beach vacations and so on until March 2020. I�m sure you�ve heard others describe it as the time when everything shut down. Not seeing other people except through a screen.

The problem is, we don�t know how Samuel�s body will react to COVID-19, if he were to get it. He is vulnerable to other respiratory illnesses similar to it so the outlook doesn�t seem too good. This is why whenever I touch a package that hasn�t been �quarantined� or wiped down or whenever I touch a grocery that hasn�t been washed, I mentally freak out a little. That�s the main impact on me right now. Just this anxiety that I�m going to be the one who gives COVID-19 to Samuel because of a misstep when I touch a package. It�s going to be my fault if I�m not careful enough. The fear that I�m going to be the one who impacts the whole family by transmitting a virus around.

School is going to be starting in the fall and I�m staying home. I�m going to probably see most of my classmates together on a screen. I�m nervous because I don�t want to be the only one on the screen, the left out one, all because of Samuel�s birth defect. The light at the end of this story, the possibility, what my whole family is hoping for, is a vaccine for Samuel. After he is hopefully vaccinated, I think that I am going to be much more grateful for the things I took for granted, like hugging my grandparents and hanging out with my friends. Little things that make a big difference.