Near and Dear

September 05, 2012

Hearts...hearts of all kinds, healthy, whole, broken, fixed, new and old are very near and dear to me. I never really spent a lot of time studying just how freaking amazing that organ is until I had no choice. My baby boy...he's got a broken one. Even three open heart surgeries later, it's still broken, BUT it's still beating. He is still here with us just about to turn 3 years old. As with every birthday of his (and my other boys for that matter) I drop to my knees in gratitude for that. There were many days I didn't know that we would ever make it this far... There are many that don't make it this far. I still spend many nights wondering why us...how does he choose... My whole healthy heart is drawn to other families going through this journey and I feel the stories, their gains and their losses to my very core. I silently cry for them, many that I don't even know personally, only through the heart community. That community I speak of, it's huge!

So there's this association called the American Heart Association, ever heard of them ;) Well, they are one of many and one of the biggest to bring awareness to hearts. Heart disease, heart defects and the like. Every year Pax and all his heart brothers (and their parents) join the big American Heart Association Heart Walk to join in the fight. And lets be real, if anyone can melt peoples hearts, its these guys. They should be the poster children for them because who can say no to those faces!

~heart brothers and mamas united~

~fighting the fight together~

~big brothers surrounding and supporting baby brother~

They hold this massive event to help bring awareness to those that aren't versed in hearts, just like I wasn't prior to Pax.
Awareness to facts like heart disease doesn't just affect older people! It affects 1 in 100 births! Pax being one of those 100.
Read some more statistics below.... It's mind blowing...

I look at this face then read below and it makes me want to fight for more! Fight for all of the children like Paxton. This is lifelong for these children.

Congenital Heart Defects are the #1 birth defect worldwide
Congenital Heart Defects are the #1 cause of birth defect related deaths worldwide
About 1 out of every 100 babies are born each year with some type of Congenital Heart Defect in the United States (approx. 40,000/year)
Nearly twice as many children die from Congenital Heart Defects in the United States each year as from all forms of childhood cancers combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for Congenital Heart Defects
Each year worldwide 100,000 babies (under one year old) will not live to celebrate their first birthday
Each year in the United States approximately 4,000 babies (under one year old) will not live to celebrate their first birthday
The cost for inpatient surgery to repair Congenital Heart Defects exceeds $2.2 billion a year
Of every dollar the government spends on medical funding only a fraction of a penny is directed toward Congenital Heart Defect research.
Though research is ongoing, at least 35 defects have now been identified
Although some babies will be diagnosed during gestation or at birth, sometimes the diagnosis is not made until days, weeks, months, or even years after. In some cases, CHD is not detected until adolescence or adulthood
It is a proven fact that the earlier CHD is detected and treated, it is more likely the affected child will survive and have less long term health complications

(borrowed from itsmyheart.org)

SO....where am I going with this you ask.... well we're going on a walk. A heart walk. And we hope to raise money which will be used to raise awareness and fund more research into heart disease/defects. I know... I know... everyone asks for money for this or that. I hear you. I get it. But I am just a mama, keeping a promise to her boy. So I am asking all of you who have prayed for Pax to clean out the couch and donate your change. Check under the seats of your car. Forego your morning Starbucks run~ I will even forego my morning diet coke and you all know how hard that will be for me. Any and everything helps. I know these are tough times, but I also know there are children around the world that need our help. As a mom, that statement alone moves me. It is due to organizations like AHA that allow this research to happen, that push for more knowledge to be gained, leading to more lives saved.

Do it for this boy. For all those who have gone before him, for all of those who continue fighting the long, hard fight and for those yet to begin.

To help, click HERE.

Find our name at the bottom and help however you can. No amount is to small. From my Mommy heart to yours..... thank you. Thank you in advance for loving my boy and all of these children that fight harder than you or I could ever imagine possible.

We love you...