Friday 16 August 2019

This week my Word of the Week is:Ten! #WotW #CHD

This week my Word of the Week is:


Today it is 10 years since my girls and I made the trip to the hospital so they could have their open heart surgery! 

If you don't know our story, both of my girls were born with holes in their hearts which missed at birth, they were only discovered after my youngest jammed her fingers in a door and needed surgery to straighten her fingers. It was a freak accident but that accident saved both of their lives. If Ellie didn't have that accident they could have been dead by now. I have been left with the thought of all the what if's?

We went into the hospital on Sunday, Becky had surgery on Monday and spent a night on PICU, Ellie had her surgery on Tuesday and took Becky's place on PICU. It was the worst time of my life. I did write about the reality of open heart surgery but even that can't get across how I was feeling. Taking one child for surgery is bad enough but taking another less than 24 hours later. I don't know how I did it, I really don't.

Now my girls are fit and well. Their CHD's don't really effect them now. They will need surgery to repair the leaking heart valves they were left with eventually but that is at least 10 years off. 

This time 10 years ago, I was a mess and I wasn't seeing past the next week. I really can't believe 10 years has passed! I still remember it like it was yesterday but at the same time it seems a lifetime ago. 

Becky is a young woman now, not the scared 6 year old. She has gone right through school and is awaiting her GCSE results. In a few weeks she will be starting college and turning 17! 


Ellie has grown into a real person, she was only a toddler when she had her surgery. 1 and 11 months old. She is a walking, talking, unicorn obsessed crazy child now but I wouldn't change one bit of her!


I certainly didn't expect either of them to be able to run about, ride bikes and cause chaos like they do! I am so glad that their heart defects were picked up, treated and they have gone on to live normal lives. I will always be grateful at the doctors, surgeons and all the nurses and staff at the Freeman hospital who made difficult time a little easier.


5 comments :

  1. Just amazing that it was picked up. The consequences are not worth thinking about, if it had not been for jamming her finger. I'm glad they are both doing well. #wotw

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  2. What an amazing stroke of luck that your daughter needed the emergency surgery for her crushed fingers! You have two beautiful girls. So glad they are both doing well now.

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  3. I cant imagine what you went through Kim it must have been worse than horrendous. Thanks god both your girls are now healthy and happy. Sending my love today it must brings all those feelings back x

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  4. So thankful that your girls' heart defects were picked up and they are doing so well now. It must have been so hard going through heart surgery for both of them - it's hard enough with just one child. Ten years is a milestone well worth celebrating x #WotW

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  5. It so difficult watching your child go through something like that and you are so lucky that it was picked up. I'm so glad your girls are doing fine, it sounds like a good ten years that you may not have had but it's no use thinking of the what if's not matter how hard it is. Thanks for linking up to #wotw xx

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