4HisHeart- Snuggles from Sam Update
Last spring, Kurt and Joy Owens shared the story of their ministry in honor of their baby boy, Sam. (4HisHeart – Snuggles from Sam, Part 1 and 4HisHeart – Snuggles from Sam, Part 2) At their CaringBridge website, they recently posted an update about the ministry, along with the story of one beneficiary of it and some childhood heart disease statistics. Here’s what they had to say.
Congenital Heart Defect Statistics
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- 1 in 100 babies are born with a congenital heart defect. 1 IN 100!! And that number is rising.
- Having a baby with a heart defect can happen to ANYONE. EVERYBODY has a 1 in 100 chance of having a baby with a heart defect.(Sam and Matthew had completely different heart defects. after having one child with a CHD your risk goes up, but only slightly. Our chances of having a baby with a healthy heart were 98% with Sam. 98%. It is NOT a genetic condition. We have been tested by genetics specialists, participated in a study for Boston Children’s Hospital, visited with world renown cardiologists, and we do not have heart defects in either of our families. We DID NOTHING to cause our boys’ broken hearts. If we were to ever have another baby the chances remain at 97-98% for a healthy heart).
- Congenital Heart Defects are the NUMBER ONE killer of children
- Right now there is no known cause for most forms of CHD and no cure for any of them.
- Half of the babies born with a congenital heart defect will not live to see their first birthday. Half. Sam was part of that half.
- CHD’s are often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, and many children die suddenly without any “apparent” reason due to them. Some children even reach adulthood before learning they have a heart defect.
- Congenital heart defects kill more children every year than ALL forms of childhood cancer COMBINED. (Let that soak in).
- Yet, funding for research is 5 times lower.
Meet Andrew~1 in 100 Miracle Baby Boy
Andrew was in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit when we took our very first 4Hisheart comfort bags to Mayo. He had one of Sam’s (and our) favorite nurses, Clint. Clint was one of Sam’s main nurses, and took such wonderful care of him. He was the one who got to deliver the very first bag on the same day that we visited. Andrew, and his family were the very first recipients.
I remember them asking Kurt and I if we wanted to be the ones to deliver it…but neither one of us had the strength to do that. It was hard enough to be there…without Sam…seeing his empty room. I just could not bear to see another sick little baby with a broken heart. Not then. It was too soon. So Clint did the honors, and I am so glad he did.
We left that day feeling a sense of fulfillment that the first batch of bags were there and ready for the babies who would inevitably come to the floor we called home for 72 days. We were both crushed that any of them had to be there in the first place, and we left with a new little one in our prayers. We had not met Andrew, but he grabbed hold of our hearts that afternoon.
His mother, Amber wrote us a letter about a month later. It came on a day I was feeling so discouraged about this new ministry. It is with her permission that I share some of what she wrote with you.
…”Because of 4Hisheart ministries and reading his story, Baby Sam will forever have a place in my heart. I hope to share his story with my son someday.
My son was the first recipient of on of the 4Hisheart bags. Andrew was born with Truncus Arteriosus, a VSD, and an Interrupted Aortic Arch and had his 1st open heart surgery at 3 days old. We were so touched to have received the bag while in the Cardiac ICU. We had Clint as our nurse that day, and he was so excited to pass on the bag to us.
The blanket is so adorable and we have recievd so many compliments on it. I call it his Sam blanket. ( I kind of lost it when I read that part…another little boy with a broken heart has a blanket called his Sam blanket). I love the swaddler-it is the only way he will sleep. The sheep was very comforting to him while he was there-he enjoyed the stream sounds. The gas card was also very nice to have, everyday driving added up. I can also relate to the book so much and have found it comforting for myself to read.
Sam’s story and your journey has touched our hearts.
With deepest appreciation,
Dave, Amber, Eric and most of all Andrew.”
Once again, I want to tell you that we could NOT have this ministry without support and generosity from you, and it cannot continue without you either. These families, instead of basking in the happiest moments of having a newborn, are instead watching them fight for their lives because of a monster of a disease without a cure. It is our prayer that these bags; full of useful, comforting items will continue to bring hope, soften the harsh environment of a place that is not really home, and bless these families during the most heartbreaking time of their lives. I know how much something like that would have meant to our family, and how much these things helped Sam.
I also want to tell you that thankfully Andrew is HOME and is doing great!!
Contribute to 4HisHeart
If you would like to contribute to 4HisHeart, visit Baby Sam’s Caring Bridge website and leave a note in the guest book.
Jolene
