If you are so inclined, please indulge me by reading the below.
This is a happy story.
I am writing on behalf of my nephew, Grayson Blatt. Grayson was born in Littleton Colorado on June 22, 2006, which makes him almost 2. Like many 2-year-old boys Grayson likes trucks, dinosaurs and anything his brother, Parker is playing with. Unlike most 2 year olds, Grayson was born with heart disease; not the kind that comes from eating too many deep-fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sucking on Marlboro Reds like they were pixie stix. Rather Grayson has a congenital heart defect (CHD).
There are over four-dozen categorized CHDs and each occurrence has its own level of complexity. Grayson’s specific defect is categorized as atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD). This complex defect is best described as a large hole in the middle of the heart. It results from a lack of separation of the atria and the ventricles into separate chambers, and a lack of separation of the mitral and tricuspid valves into two separate valves. There is a resulting large connection between the two atria, between the two ventricles, and a single atrioventricular (or AV) valve, whereas there should be separate mitral and tricuspid valves. As a result, the heart circulates already oxygenated blood back to the lungs without it going out to feed the body.
That is the clinical description. The practical explanation is much easier to understand but no easier to accept. Grayson’s heart was working 2 to 3 times harder than your heart does. Despite the extra effort, oxygen wasn’t reaching the rest of his body, at least not enough of it was. By eight weeks of age Grayson was growing listless. He was too tired to eat much less anything else.
So why is this a happy story? Because all of the above was two years ago and the picture you see below is of Grayson this past winter. It took 7 hours of surgery, 11 days in the NICU, 6 medications and continuing occupational and physical therapy but Grayson is now a bundle of laughs, overflowing with innocent mischief and full of all the promise that every child represents.
Grayson’s amazing progress is the result of love, courage and determination. But it is also due to medical progress, dedicated professionals and the unrelenting pursuit of knowledge to reduce the frequency of severity of heat disease.
Heart disease is the number one killer in America. According to the March of Dimes, congenital heart defects are the #1 birth defect. In the US alone, over 25,000 babies are born each year with a congenital heart defect. That translates to 1 out of every 115 to 150 births. (To put those numbers into perspective, only 1 in every 800 to 1,000 babies is born with Downs Syndrome.)
You can help.
On June 7th the 2008 Denver Heart and Stroke walk will be held. If you want to sponsor Grayson and his "team" you can click on the link below and show your support. All donations go to the American Heart Association.
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=246923&lis=1&kntae246923=06CA5C47154B449F9888C7CE23D614FD&supId=169433921
Grayson and I thank you.
Joe
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