Heart To Heart With Anna

How does a cardiologist for adults born with congenital heart defects seize the day? What obstacles has he encountered in working with adults with congenital heart defects? What's new in the field of pediatric cardiology regarding anti-arrhythmia drugs?Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

What is HeartGift? How do doctors in the United States save children in countries that don't have hospitals that perform life-saving open-heart surgery? Why is Rachael Wright involved with HeartGift?Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

How does an Eisenmenger Survivor seize the day? How does receiving a heart/double-lung transplant affect your philosophy of life? What does this 65-year old congenital heart defect Survivor have to teach us?Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Growing up with a congenital heart defect for many children means more visits to the hospital and clinic than for their heart healthy peers. Today's Guest was born with transposition of the great arteries and she has used her experiences and her education to serve as a role model and an advisor to those in the Heart Community. Tune in to hear how Heart Warrior and psychotherapist Tracy Livecchi shares how she seizes the day, what obstacles she has had to overcome and what advice she has for others in the heart community.Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Seizing the day, or Carpe Diem, can be a difficult concept for people in the throes of extreme distress and few experiences are as distressing as having to hand over a child for open-heart surgery. Now imagine doing it twice. Now imagine one of the surgeries doesn't work as planned and one of your babies needs a heart transplant. That's what happened to our Guest, Katina Robalino. The mother of three, she had two babies born with heart defects and even though both babies had life-saving surgeries, one of them finally needed a heart transplant. How does Katina seize the day? How has having two younger sisters with heart defects affected her older daughter? What advice does this Guest for other families facing a similar situation to the ones she's faced? Tune in to discover the answers to these questions and more!Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affil

How does a 49-year-old HRHS Survivor "seize the day"? What makes Tracey Grasty exceptional? How does being a nurse affect her philosophy of life? Tune in to discover the answer to those questions and more!Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

How does a 25-year-old HLHS Survivor "seize the day"? What makes Myles Schweitzer exceptional? How does being a musician affect his philosophy of life? Tune in to discover the answer to those questions and more!Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

How do a mother and daughter duo seize the day when they're dealt the blow of a chronic illness? How does their perspective change over time? What advice do they have for others?Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Season Six of "Heart to Heart with Anna" is all about Carpe Diem -- Seizing the Day. In this episode we'll learn about a remarkable congenital heart defect (CHD) Survivor who was born in the 1950s. Being born with tetralogy of Fallot in the 1950s could have been a death sentence but instead Jim Larson was a pioneer. One of the early survivors of what was commonly referred to as "blue baby syndrome," Jim Larson was operated on by the most promising up-and-coming doctors in the United States and instead of dying young, as so many other children did who were born with that heart defect in that time, Jim survived and even thrived. Tune in to hear how he learned to "seize the day" and what advice he has for others born with heart defects or any other kind of chronic illness.Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Soun

Today's episode of Heart to Heart with Anna shows how a heart mom - inspired by her daughter's determination - has begun a successful small business. The guest for this exciting episode is Jessie Wimmer, who is a heart mom from Charlotte, NC. She has two beautiful children: Noah and Sparrow, who was born with a congenital heart defect. Jessie will tell us about the miracle she - and doctors - witnessed in her daughter's life, and how that propelled her towards succeeding in her business: The Cookie Cult.Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Have you ever felt like things are just getting out of hand or getting away from you? Is the stress of being a caregiver affecting the way you relate to others? On today's episode we will discuss the topic of Compassion Fatigue, which is present in many who care for others, including nurses, paramedics, physicians, and even parents of children with congenital heart defects. Today's guest is Daniel Miles, the Assistant Director of Spiritual Education at Carolinas Medical Center. We're going to learn what Compassion Fatigue is, how to notice symptoms, risk factors, and practical approaches to preventing Compassion Fatigue.Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Chris Perez is a Heart Dad from North Carolina. His son Nolan was born in 2012 with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. For almost 2 years he's written a blog called Half Heart. Whole Life: an HLHS Dad's blog, where he lays out the life of a Heart Dad with honesty and humor. On today's episode, Chris will be presenting an update to the well-known essay "Welcome to Holland." This essay has been read by many since it was written in 1987: today Chris will give it a fresh new spin!Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

This episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna" is the final episode of Season 5: Miracles DO Happen! We started Season Five with a miracle story about a woman who found out after she gave birth that her son had a critical congenital heart defect and who was in the right place at the right time to receive the treatment he needed to survive. This episode, likewise, deals with the discovery after birth that a baby boy was born with congenital heart defects. This show not only deals with the discovery after birth but also with the intercession of an angel who might very well have helped to save this baby's life. Our Guests for this show include Rebekah Simpson and her mother Susan Mills who both witnessed a miracle.Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWeb

Those who have been through the trauma of having open-heart surgeries and dealing with all of the situations that accompany them have many choices. They can choose to be positive and to see the bright side, even when things get difficult or they can choose to feel negative and like what is happening to them is unfair. Survivors can choose to let their heart defects define them or they can choose to live a quality life despite their difficulties.Sometimes a person used her personal trauma to empathetically reach out to others. That's what this show is all about. Tune in to hear how a CHD Survivor has used her experiences to reach out to others -- specifically to children with learning and medical disabilities. Discover the miracles she has witnessed over the years and the good that can come of living a challenging life.Today's show, "The Miracle of Giving Back" features CHD Survivor and special education teacher Catherine Scavone.***Thanks to Stuart Miles of FreeDigitalPhotos.net for the il

Many mothers believe their babies are miracles, but few know that to be a fact like mothers of children born with broken hearts. When mothers are told their unborn or newborn babies have something wrong with their hearts, the news is devastating. When mothers see their littles one fight for their lives and survive open-heart surgeries only to have difficulty feeding, gaining weight and still looking blue, they may all but despair.Today's show will feature a mother who has seen all of that and more! Difficulty with feeding, feeding tubes, the fear that the heart defect may be genetic and thus worries over having a second child are all issues that our Guest, Angela Gilbert, has faced head on thanks to her son being born with transposition of the great arteries. Tune in to hear how she faced these issues, how her son, Gary, was able to overcome these obstacles and many more to become a healthy 16-year old teenager and what advice she has for other parents facing the same problems she has encountered.Just a

Some people are born with broken hearts that seem to function adequately for years before they start to decline and become unable to sufficiently support life. With the invention of pacemakers, ventricular assist devices, and defibrillators, it seems that even broken hearts can function for quite a while with the miracles of modern medicine. But sometimes, even these magical devices or the amazing drugs that can slow hearts down or speed hearts up are not enough. When this happens, people must be listed for a heart transplant. What happens when you're listed for a heart transplant? What miracles are involved with receiving a donor heart? Today's show will focus on two gentlemen -- one who has received a heart and another who is on the heart transplant list. Tune in to hear what miracles they have witnessed or experienced and what advice they have for others. ***Image courtesy of kittijaroon at FreeDigitalPhotos.netJust a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment

Miracles seem to be all around us, but some miracles are thanks to the great strides made in the field of pediatric cardiology. What kind of advances have been made over the years? What are some techniques being used that can save untold numbers of lives? How, exactly, are babies or children benefiting from the developments in pediatric cardiology?This show will feature the mother of two daughters who is grateful for the advances in pediatric cardiology and how those advances have personally affected her life. Tune in to hear how Sharisse Roberts feels she has a medical miracle living with her and the advice she has for others who find themselves being told their unborn child will be born with a congenital heart defect.Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsit

What happens when you're told your baby's only hope for survival is a heart transplant and that even with that there were no guarantees? When parents rely on faith, instead of on medical "facts," can they possibly be granted a miracle? Tune in to hear Kristi Pena discuss her experience with having a son with Barth Syndrome -- a son she admitted to hospice care at 45 days of age -- a son who has beaten the odds time and again. Kristi's story is full of miracles which depended on faith in God as the Almighty Healer.Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

When parents are told their children will be born with a heart defect, they often wonder what kind of life their children will have. Will they constantly be hospitalized? Will they have to endure one surgery after another? Will they be able to run and play with other children? Then as our children age and start answering some of those early questions we parents have new questions popping into our minds. Will our children graduate? Go to the prom? Have a first love? Then even more serious questions enter our minds. Will our children find someone to love and who will love them, despite the fact that they have a heart defect? Will our children be able to have children of their own? If they do have children, will those children be born with heart defects? So many of us parents have a million questions and as our children age, our questions seem to multiply. This show is the first show to feature only the spouse of an adult born with a critical congenital heart defect. Tune in to hear Brittany tell us about fallin

When children survived the early heart surgeries of the 1940s, ‘50s and 60s, it was often considered miraculous. It is because of amazing doctors Dr. Robert Gross, Dr. Helen Taussig, Dr. Alfred Blalock, Dr. William Rashkind (and far too many others for me to mention) that we now have over 1 million adult survivors of congenital heart defects in the United States alone. Today’s show is The Miracle of Growing Up with a Congenital Heart Defect and features Diane Pucci, an adult born with a congenital heart defect who has seen pediatric cardiology grow and change as she has grown and changed.Just a quick shout-out to all of the amazing supporters who like, share, and comment on our program via Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all!Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite