Yesterday I received an email from our local Down syndrome group, DSAT. It was about a new support group in our area.
This group, Mended Little Hearts, is for parents whose kids have undergone heart surgery. We'll have a monthly meeting about things associated with heart surgery. Also, we'll go to the hospitals to help support parents during the very trying time of having their kid go through the surgery. Believe it or not, it is extremely hard to see your child laying there on a bed, unable to move, hooked up to machines.
Also, we are there to help parents who have just gotten the dreaded news that heart surgery is needed. That news is like getting hit head on by a train. But, we also show them how the kids are soooo much different after the surgeries.
Before surgery, there is poor weight gain. Before surgery, you wouldn't dare dress your kids in white as they look really pale in white. But after surgery, the kids put on weight as most calories aren't being burned just keeping their hearts working. Their colour is so much better, they look pink instead of a bluish grey. The kids play better and don't sleep as much.
If you have had a kid who has undergone heart surgery, I encourage you to visit the above link and sign up for your local group. If you don't have one, start one.
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