Heart To Heart With Anna

Send us a textRoger Potter was born in the 1940s -- a critical time in the era of open-heart surgery because it was in 1944 that Dr. Blalock and Dr. Taussig performed the first operation to save a "blue baby." Roger was one of the original "blue babies" saved by this pioneering open-heart surgery. Listen today as Roger shares with Anna what it was like for him growing up with a congenital heart defect, what he feels doctors did right when he was growing up that perhaps should be reconsidered for today's Heart Warriors and what it means to him to be a Cardiac Athlete™.Lars Andrews' wrote a book, Cardiac Athletes which has stories about athletes who have endured cardiac surgeries (https://smile.amazon.com/Cardiac-Athletes-Superheroes-Beating-Disease/dp/0993038905/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509401650&sr=8-2&keywords=lars+andrews+cardiac+athlete). Lars Andrews is working on the 2nd book in this series and Roger Potter has contributed an essay to this book.Thank you to everyo

Send us a textNeil Collins was born with the most common congenital heart defect - a bicuspid aortic valve. Join us today as we learn about what it was like growing up with this heart defect, how long it took to become a problem and what Neil did about it. We'll learn how it affected his profession, what considerations went into the open-heart surgery and what it meant to Neil regarding his ability to continue to be an athlete. At the end of the program Neil will tell Anna waht being a Cardiac Athlete means to him.Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: We Build HeartsHeartWorks empowers the CHD community by advancing research and finding cures for heart defects.Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Send us a textLike so many of the Cardiac Athletes™ Anna has interviewed for this Spotlight on Cardiac Athletes™, Aimee Osinski discovered her heart condition after she thought she was in tip-top shape and in adulthood. It was quite a shock for Aimee to discover her condition. Tune in to hear Aimee talk with Anna about her diagnosis, what transpired and how it affected her life. Aimee also shares with Anna what it means to her to be a Cardiac Athlete and how running helped her feel "normal" again.To learn more about Aimee, check out her essay in Lars Andrews' book, Cardiac Athletes (https://smile.amazon.com/Cardiac-Athletes-Superheroes-Beating-Disease/dp/0993038905/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509401650&sr=8-2&keywords=lars+andrews+cardiac+athlete). Lars Andrews is working on the 2nd book in this series and there may be an update from Aimee for that book, but you'll hear her story on Heart to Heart with Anna first!Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and

Send us a textMartin Brady was a runner from an early age but at age 24 he discovered something startling -- he was born with a bicuspid aortic valve. Join us as Martin shares what happened to him after he discovered he had this birth defect, how he prepared himself for the inevitable and what consequences he's endured since having his heart valve replaced. Martin has submitted an essay for the 2nd book in the Cardiac Athlete series by Lars Andrews. To purchase the first book in the series, go to this link (and you'll also help out Hearts Unite the Globe -- the nonprofit that provides this podcast free of charge to Listeners): https://smile.amazon.com/Cardiac-Athletes-Superheroes-Beating-Disease/dp/0993038905/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505177810&sr=8-2&keywords=cardiac+athletes+lars+andrews Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: We Build HeartsHeartWorks empowers the CH

Send us a textGreen Bay Packer #96 -- Michael Montgomery -- was a defensive end with a history of 123 tackles and 5 sacks. He also harbored a little-known secret -- he was born with a potentially life-threatening congenital heart defect. Had it not been for the quick thinking of the Texas A & M football staff, Michael Montgomery very well could have died in college and would never have played professional football. Today he talks with Anna about how his heart defect was diagnosed, what happened after the diagnosis, what it meant to him to play professional football and what he's doing now to help save other athletes from potentially succumbing to an undiagnosed heart defect.To learn more about Michael Montgomery, visit his website: https://www.themichaelmontgomery.com/To learn more about Michael Montgomery's nonprofit organization, go here: https://www.themichaelmontgomery.com/foundation-1Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.hea

Send us a textToday we'll meet with Cardiac Athlete™ Tracie Happel as she talks with Anna about the unusual circumstances that led to the diagnosis of a rare heart defect that could have claimed the life of her and her son. Tune in to hear the difficulties Tracie experienced in getting a proper diagnosis and what advice she has for other female athletes who experience symptoms like hers. You'll be inspired by the spunk this athlete has exhibited with her tenacity to lead the life she felt she was meant to lead and to be the mother and role model for her son she feels he deserves.Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: We Build HeartsHeartWorks empowers the CHD community by advancing research and finding cures for heart defects.Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Send us a textTune in to hear Richard Gardner talk to Anna about his journey from athlete to discovery that his heart had a valve problem to having open-heart surgery and then his decisions regarding exercise following his surgery. Listen to the compromises he had to make and how he feels about those compromises. Richard Gardner will be participating in the 2nd book in the Cardiac Athlete series by Lars Andrews. To purchase the first book in the series, go to this link (and you'll also help out Hearts Unite the Globe -- the nonprofit that provides this podcast free of charge to Listeners): https://smile.amazon.com/Cardiac-Athletes-Superheroes-Beating-Disease/dp/0993038905/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505177810&sr=8-2&keywords=cardiac+athletes+lars+andrews Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: We Build HeartsHeartWorks empowers the CHD community by advancing research and findi

Send us a textBarry Stone is a very special Cardiac Athlete™. At 74 years old he is a triathlete who has loved athletics all his life. Tune in to hear him share about his life, his challenges, what it was like to be told he had a "heart murmur" in his 30s and what they did about it as well as other problems that cropped up over the years. You'll hear his advice for Cardiac Athletes and how he feels about cardiac rehabilitation.Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: We Build HeartsHeartWorks empowers the CHD community by advancing research and finding cures for heart defects.Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Send us a textJoin us on Heart to Heart with Anna this week for another spotlight on Cardiac Athletes. Today we’re talking with athlete Benjamin Lee who went from living a "normal" life as an athlete for over two decades before discovering he had a potentially fatal heart defect. Join us as we discover how he went from being a healthy athlete to having to make some major changes in his life and what those changes were.Benjamin Lee is a preacher, an author and a motivational speaker. He might be participating in the 2nd book in the Cardiac Athlete series by Lars Andrews. To purchase the first book in the series, go to this link (and you'll also help out Hearts Unite the Globe -- the nonprofit that provides this podcast free of charge to Listeners): https://smile.amazon.com/Cardiac-Athletes-Superheroes-Beating-Disease/dp/0993038905/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505177810&sr=8-2&keywords=cardiac+athletes+lars+andrews Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other

Send us a textJoin us on Heart to Heart with Anna this week for another spotlight on Cardiac Athletes. Today we’re talking with athlete Lisa Johnson who went from training in gymnastics, Olympic weightlifiting and crossfit to heart surgery and finding out she had both a congenital defect and autoimmune disease. It’s a fascinating story about triumph, loss and struggle and Lisa is quite the heroine!Lisa Johnson will be participating in the 2nd book in the Cardiac Athlete series by Lars Andrews. To purchase the first book in the series, go to this link (and you'll also help out Hearts Unite the Globe -- the nonprofit that provides this podcast free of charge to Listeners): https://smile.amazon.com/Cardiac-Athletes-Superheroes-Beating-Disease/dp/0993038905/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505177810&sr=8-2&keywords=cardiac+athletes+lars+andrews Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: W

Send us a textThis week, and for the next several weeks, Heart to Heart with Anna will be a Spotlight on a Cardiac Athlete. You can learn more about Cardiac Athletes, you can visit this website: http://cardiacathletes.com/This week's spotlight is on Tim Howard. Join us as Anna interviews Tim about his cardiac disease, how he responded to his doctors and what it means to him to be a Cardiac Athlete.Tim Howard will be participating in the 2nd book in the Cardiac Athlete series by Lars Andrews. To purchase the first book in the series, go to this link (and you'll also help out Hearts Unite the Globe -- the nonprofit that provides this podcast free of charge to Listeners): https://smile.amazon.com/Cardiac-Athletes-Superheroes-Beating-Disease/dp/0993038905/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505177810&sr=8-2&keywords=cardiac+athletes+lars+andrews Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks

Send us a textThis is our first Heart to Heart with Anna episode entirely in French for our French-speaking Heart Community. Today's topic deals with the Fontan heart and liver involvement.La procédure de Fontan a été utilisée depuis les années 1970 pour traiter les personnes avec une physiologie du ventricule unique--également connu sous le nom d’un cœur options. Il a également été utilisé dans les dernières décennies pour traiter le syndrome d’hypoplasie du coeur gauche (hCG) ou syndrome d’hypoplasie du coeur droit (HRHS). Il y a maintenant assez survivants à long terme de la procédure de Fontan le milieu médical pour savoir quels types de conséquences vu telle une physiologie radicale pose. Lorsque la seule fonction du coeur est de pomper le sang dans le corps, et il se déplace passivement aux poumons pour l’oxygène, comment cette anatomie affecte-t-elle autres organes, notamment le foie ?Notre médecin invité s’appelle Magalie Ladouceur, qui est cardiologue et spécialiste des Cardiopathies Congénitale

Send us a textToday Jessica Gutierrez-Rodriguez talks with us about how she has discovered her single-ventricle heart warrior's hidden talents. She also shares with us Marianne's early years and some of the challenges she's had to overcome. Jessica shares how she has come to discover her daughters' hidden talents and how she and her family have worked to foster her daughters' talents. She gives advice to all parents about what they can do to help their Heart Warriors find something to be passionate about to enrich their lives.Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: We Build HeartsHeartWorks empowers the CHD community by advancing research and finding cures for heart defects.Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Send us a textThe importance of early childhood education (ECI) cannot be denied. At-risk children who are given ECI tend to do better and many can even start kindergarden with their peers. Today's program features Roxanne Montalvo-Tsai, a heart mom to a healthy little boy and twin girls who were both born with tetralogy of Fallot. Enjoy today's program as Roxanne shares with Anna how she worked to provide little Jasmine and Selena with all of the assistance she could while they were infants and into early childhood and how, now that they are toddlers and 3 years of age, she is enrolling them in her public school's ECI program. Discover some of the strengths and weaknesses the twins already have and what Roxanne believes they need in order to start kindergarten with their peers, and without any outside assistance!Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: We Build HeartsHeartWo

Send us a textFor many parents, after they have a child with a critical congenital heart defect their world completely stops for a time. Some parents become paralyzed with fear. They are afraid to move forward because while pursuing their own dreams, their baby could become sick and perhaps even die! This makes it very difficult for parents because in pursuing their dreams, they might feel they are behaving selfishly, even if that isn't the case. Today Marta Montero shares with Anna her journey toward achieving her doctoral degree while dealing with a son with a single ventricle diagnosis. Learn how she has managed to have it all and how she believes what she is doing is an opportunity to do something good even while dealing with something as difficult as raising children with special needs.Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: We Build HeartsHeartWorks empowers the CHD community by

Send us a textIt's back-to-school time and "Heart to Heart with Anna" wants to make sure that Heart Parents are prepared to send their Heart Warriors back to school! Enjoy today's program with Lisa O'Connor, a special education advocate. Lisa shares with Anna some of the accommodations that many children with special needs have and how Heart Warriors need an Individualized Health Care Plan. Tune in to hear Lisa share her experience working with special needs families so you can be a strong advocate for your child!Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: We Build HeartsHeartWorks empowers the CHD community by advancing research and finding cures for heart defects.Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Send us a textWhat happens when our Heart Warriors age out of high school but are not ready for college or trade school? What can parents do to prepare their children for adulthood when cognitively they may not be where their peers are? Join us today as Kathy Keller shares her experiences and advice with us! Kathy's Heart Warrior, Garrett, was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and has had strokes, plastic bronchitis a heart transplant and has benefitted from many special programs that are enabling him to have a quality life as an adult. Tune in to hear about challenges Garrett has faced, how his entire family has come together to help him lead a quality of life and preparations Kathy has made to ensure Garrett will be taken care of far into the future.Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: We Build HeartsHeartWorks empowers the CHD community by advancing research and finding

Send us a textSeason 10 of Heart to Heart with Anna is focused on educational issues but almost all of the programs have dealt with Heart Warriors in the United States. Join us with this program as we go Down Under to talk with an Australian Heart Warrior and what she experienced growing up with a congenital heart defect. Did Megan have the same kind of experiences her American counterparts had? What advice does Megan have for others in the Heart Community? What kind of things did Megan's parents do which she felt have helped her in her adult life? Tune in for the answers to these questions and more!Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: We Build HeartsHeartWorks empowers the CHD community by advancing research and finding cures for heart defects.Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitte

Send us a textJoin us in this episode as we investigate a world filled with acronyms and letters (504 Plans, IEPs, ARDs). Special Education Instructor and Heart Mom Marie O'Donnell demystifies the world of special education as she explains what different kind of special education plans are, who can benefit from them and how the plans for children born with congenital heart defect can change over time. Discover what Marie has learned from being both a parent of a special needs child and the teacher who works with special needs children. Find out what things might be different from state to state (if you live in the United States) but what things are constant. Anna and Marie dig deeply into the world of special education from Early Childhood Education all the way to graduation. You won't want to miss this informative program.Thank you to everyone who has helped HUG in creating our podcasts and other resources. Visit https;//www.heartsunitetheglobe.com to donate or join us!HeartWorks: We Build HeartsHe

Send us a textThe number of families in the United States and around the world who are choosing to homeschool seems to be on the rise. There are a number of countries where it is illegal to homeschool but in the countries where it is not illegal, it is a viable option and often reaps great rewards for the children and the families as a whole. For many people, homeschooling is more than an educational option -- it's a lifestyle choice. Homeschoolers frequently have more opportunities to serve their communities and to interact with people of all ages than children who attend traditional brick-and-mortar schools.. Tune in to this program to hear experienced homeschool mother Chelle McIntyre-Brewer share with Anna what event caused her to homeschool her two children, what advantages she believes the children have been afforded by being homeschooled and how they are learning self-advocacy in addition to typical subjects. Chelle McIntyre-Brewer is a military wife and she details how choosing to homeschool has