Welcome Visitors from eBay

Welcome anyone who has just come to this site through the auctioning of the final item of this up trade challenge that I undertook.

If you want to know more about how this challenge started, or the actual diary from the time our son was born supposedly healthy to finding out two days later that he had a serious heart condition and we needed to be flown to Melbourne for open heart surgery, over 350 posts have been made to this blogsite. To view previous just head over to archives found in the right hand column ... newest at top ... oldest at bottom. You may find posts about excitement, achievements, disapointments, general banter, rants, complete rubbish and of course interaction with a good efriend Dan English of 0ddness (with a zero) who lost his beautiful daughter Bethy (Bethany) to Congenital Heart Disease several years ago. Dan in fact had significant input into the naming of the challenge when I handed it over to readers for suggestions and a vote.

You might even fund a little humour hidden away inbetween the odd post if you really look hard. Thanks again for visiting and I hope you can play a major role in bidding up the final item that will see FULL PROCEEDS DONATED TO HEARTKIDS AUSTRALIA with funds specifically being provided to support South Australian families travelling to Melbourne with their children requiring heart surgery.

.. and cause I know you are all busy people and like to be spoon fed .. here are some links to perhaps more significant posts ...

What is the special zipper challenge?

Trading Commences

Birth of an Aussie Heartkid Part One (This is the start of the diary)

This is a very special post and on re-reading a few minutes ago would appear there must have been some dust in my eyes. Whilst five years on and many hurdles have been crossed (rather than leapt over), the emotions of what these innocent babies and young children go through with the surgeries occuring everyday is never done and dusted I guess. Yet we are lucky .. despite being in serious and critical conditions on several occasions and being told specifically on one occasion (when Connor went into uncontrolled heart failure at 3 months of age) that he may not make it, Connor is a survivor.

It's over to you folks .. read more if you want, leave if you want .. but I ask that you take one thing with you ....

More than four young Australians will die this week as a result of congenital heart disease

Hang on .. before you leave ... just please take the time to read the rest of the statistics relating to Childhood Heart Disease ... it may be hard, but it is hard for our kids as well.

Common known facts about CHD include;
- Heart defects are present in 1 in 100 babies
- Heart defects are the most common birth abnormality
- Heart disease in children is the leading cause of young children death in Australia, accounting for more than 30% of all childhood deaths.
- Childhood Heart Disease takes more lives than all other childhood diseases combined
- Nearly twice as many children die each year from congenital heart disease compared with all childhood cancers
- More than 2015 babies are born in Australia each year with a heart defect
- Childhood heart disease is no fault of the parents or the child. It is simply a result of the cruel hand of fate
- The severity of defects in heart children can range from a hole in the heart, to a highly complex combination of conditions
- Up to 20% of heart defects are gene-linked abnormalities, but for the remaining 80% the cause is largely unknown
- More than half of these conditions are serious enough to require treatment through medication or surgery – sadly some cannot be repaired
- Cures of these heart conditions remains unidentified, therefore there is an immense need to develop early intervention strategies to identify and prevent heart disease in children
- Heart disease is the most common reason for admission of Australian children to intensive care units with more than 1300 being admitted each year
- The term ‘congenital heart defect’ refers to an abnormality of the heart, which is present at birth. It has nothing to do with diet or obesity
- Heart valve replacements come in 3 forms: homographs (valves from humans) tissue valves (from cows or pigs) and mechanical man-made valves
- Some children acquire heart conditions during childhood, eg cardiomyopathy, Kawasaki disease or as a result of rheumatic fever
- A disproportionate number of indigenous children suffer from acquired heart disease – often as a result of rheumatic fever, which is rampant in many communities
- Heart Transplants are much more challenging for children as their immune systems are not fully developed
- The only Paediatric transplant unit in Australia is at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne
- In 2007 more than 100 South Australian families travelled to Melbourne for surgery
- More than 4 young Australians will die this week as a result of congenital heart disease. Will you help to save them?
Sources: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Australian Bureau of Statistics American Heart Association