Heart to Heart with Anna

Zach Frey and Eva Gambon are teenagers born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome living in the world during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020. Zach, a senior in high school, and Eva, a 7th grader, share their experiences with living during the coronavirus -- how it has affected them and what they believe their future looks like. Frank Jaworski is a CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist) who...

According to the American Psychological Association “Marriage and divorce are both common experiences. In Western cultures, more than 90% of people marry by age 50. Healthy marriages are good for couples’ mental and physical health. They are also good for children; growing up in a happy home protects children from mental, physical, educational and social problems. However, about 40-50% of married...

Ten years ago two strangers met at a camp for children born with heart defects and became fast friends. The seed of a project was also planted at that time. In this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna," we'll meet Producer, Director, and Sound Technician James Eric and Heart Warrior Jeni Bust as they share with Anna what it was like to create a documentary about Jeni's life. James Eric is a heart...

The coronavirus pandemic has changed our world. We are experiencing social distancing, lockdowns, and fear such as we, in this generation, have never known before. In this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna," two members of the congenital heart defect (CHD) community join Anna to discuss how the coronavirus has affected their lives. We'll hear from returning Guest, Ann Koplow, a therapist who ha...

Lorrie Hill is a 23-year-old Heart Warrior. Living with a single ventricle heart, she has learned a great deal about the heart, her heart's idiosyncracies, and the importance of exercise in staying healthy. In this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna," Lorrie talks to Anna about what it has been like for her to live with a heart riddled with complex defects, how her heart defect has influenced he...

This panel discussion includes four adults who were born with congenital heart defects and one parent of a twin daughter who was born with a heart defect. Host, Anna Jaworski, is the mother of an adult son who was born with a congenital heart defect. Together, these six women talk about some of the different terms and labels that are commonly used in the congenital heart defect community. How do t...

Owen Brenna Isaacson was born with a complex congenital heart defect who has had multiple open-heart surgeries, pacemakers implanted, cardioversions and ablations. Despite the medical challenges she has faced, she has been able to lead a fairly normal life. After marrying the love of her life, she and her husband George have decided to start preparing for the growth of their family. In this episod...

This episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna" is a continuation of the episode on nurse burnout. Part 1 of this two-part series dealt with identifying what kind of people tend to be attracted to working in the field of congenital heart defects, what qualities tend to be at-risk for burnout, and what keeps people in the field despite the difficulties. In Part 2 we'll look at what nurses can do to help...

Anna Jaworski is joined by a panel of nurses to discuss a very important topic in this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna." Deena Barber, Christy Sillman and, Roslyn Rivera share their experiences with Anna about nurse burnout, why nurses who serve the congenital heart defect (CHD) community are at risk, why people might be attracted to become a nurse in the CHD community, and exactly what nurse...

Nauman Shahid is currently a 33-year-old male who knows that the right things came together for his survival. Nauman’s parents were told that tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) had no cure in Pakistan in 1987 and that any chance of survival would be in either the USA, India or Australia. He came to the USA for treatment and repair of his TOF. Growing up he has had to face his share of challenges, multiple...

Dr. Fred Wu returns to "Heart to Heart with Anna" for an update on the Fontan-Liver connection that we have come to understand in the last ten years. What are the factors that contribute to Fontan-Associated-Liver Disease? Who is at risk? What symptoms are present in patients who might have liver disease? What can we do to prevent Fontan-Associated-Liver Disease? Tune in to discover answers to the...

Laura Redfern, CFP® earned her Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 2011, after working for over 10 years in the financial services industry. Having a background in investment management and retirement planning, Laura was attracted to comprehensive financial planning and the opportunity to serve clients in a more significant way. Laura has a passion for educating individuals on financial to...

Heart Mom veterans and dear friends, Helen Simpson and Anna Jaworski, discuss a concern they have regarding the mental health needs of women whose babies have been identified with congenital heart defects and need surgery. As mothers of young adults with congenital heart defects, they talk about their own stories of diagnosis and treatment of their children's conditions and how it made them feel,...

Doctor Burnout is not a new phenomenon but this episode of Heart to Heart with Anna tackles the topic from a unique perspective. How can members of the congenital heart defect (CHD) community come together to acknowledge that doctor burnout does exist and work together to offer some solutions to reduce some of the stress? Dr. Ami Bhatt and Dr. William Novick join Anna to discuss this important top...

After 250 episodes and 6 years of broadcasting, Guest Host David Simpson turns the tables on Host Anna Jaworski and becomes the interviewer. David Simpson is a former Guest on "Heart to Heart with Anna" and he and his wife Helen had a chance to meet up with Anna in person when Frank and Anna were visiting Scotland and England. Tune in to hear these old friends reminisce about the early days of bei...

Keith Flynn was born in 1975 and shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect, Double Inlet Left Ventricle, Pulmonary Atresia, and Hypoplastic Right Ventricle. He had two Blalock-Taussig shunts at age 6 months and 5 years, and a modified Fontan procedure when he was 15. Despite experiencing atrial arrhythmias in early adulthood, Keith received limited cardiac care in his 20...

Texas Heart Mom, Staci Geiger, has experienced the trauma of handing her son over to surgeons far too many times. This experience left her grateful for the amazing care her son received and feeling blessed for his resilience and fortitude but it also left her wondering how people without the support she had could possibly go through the same journey she went through with her son's medical problems...

In this episode of Heart to Heart with Anna, returning Guest, Mary Kay Klein talks with Anna about an upcoming conference for the congenital heart defect community. Care, Hope, Discover 2019: A Congenital Heart Defect Conference will occur on October 26, 2019, in Waltham, Massachusetts at the Hilton Garden Inn in Waltham (near Boston). This one-day educational conference is for CHD patients, famil...

If you've ever wondered what Ivemark Syndrome is, you need to listen to this program! Ivemark Syndrome is a very rare constellation of birth defects which typically include malformations of the heart. Julia Mayfield is and adult born with a rare genetic condition called Ivemark Syndrome. According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Ivemark Syndrome is comprised of: 1) an absent or un...

Aubyn Baker-Riley is an adult born in 1963 with a bicuspid aortic valve and coarctation of the aorta. She had open-heart surgery at 7 years of age to widen the coarctation and ablations in 2005, 2016 and 2018. She is currently in heart failure. Although Aubyn is only in her 50s, it's unusual for someone like her to have made it to adulthood. Many people born in the 1960s, and even in the next deca...

Dr. C. Huie Lin is the Director of the Adult Congenital Heart Program at Houston Methodist Hospital. Dr. Lin earned his Ph. D. and M.D. from the University of Virginia. His residency was done at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and he completed his fellowship work in Adult Congenital - Adult Interventional Cardiology at Washington University-Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Dr. C. Huie Lin sp...

How is life different for a couple when the wife has a congenital heart defect? This week's episode features Megan and Matthew Tones. Megan was born with multiple, complex congenital heart defects which have required treatment since infancy. Tune in to hear how she and Matthew met, when he found out that Megan had a heart defect, and their philosophy of life and living with a chronic illness. Plea...

Most people today (2019) with a single ventricle heart typically have one of two courses of treatment for their heart condition: 1) a series of surgeries culminating with the Fontan Procedure or 2) a heart transplant. That is not the case with our Guest in this episode. Born in 1970, returning Guest Laura Ryan, talks about what her life has been like growing up with a single ventricle heart pallia...

Anna Jaworski, the Host of "Heart to Heart with Anna" attended Podcast Movement 2019 -- a conference, especially for podcasters. While at the conference, Anna met a number of people who had been touched by congenital heart defects, a fact she became aware of after she met new people and talked about the different podcasts each person made. This spawned an idea in Anna's mind -- to actually record...

This is a special episode of Heart to Heart with Anna that was recorded at Podcast Movement 2019 in Orlando, Florida. Buzzsprout set up a studio and invited its members to record a show at the conference. Three Hearts Unite the Globe (HUG) Board Members were attending the conference -- Guests: Laura Redfern and Frank Jaworski and Host: Anna Jaworski. Listen as the three Board Members talk about wh...