Heart to Heart with Anna

What is it like to be an adult with a congenital heart defect whose heart has given out? What does a typical journey on the road to transplant like? Does it look anything like what we see portrayed on television or in movies? Lorrie Hill grew up in Texas, mostly Houston and Dallas. She was born with a single ventricle heart and has had three open-heart surgeries in her 24 years, including a pulmon...

Do you have a child with tetralogy of Fallot (ToF)? Do you wonder what that child's life might be like? Do you ever worry about how you will help your child move beyond childhood into adulthood where your child will be in charge of his/her own healthcare? Deborah Meisten and her husband are the parents of a baby who was born with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). Deborah and her husband are in healthcare...

Loyal Listeners of "Heart to Heart with Anna" will remember Keith Flynn from 2019 when he came on the show to talk about his need for a heart and liver transplant. He graciously agreed to periodically return to let everyone know what it's like to be on the list waiting for organs and to share his experience with us. It's been about a year since we heard from Keith. In this episode, he shares with...

Why did the statuses for being listed for a heart transplant change in 2018? Why would someone born with a congenital heart defect need a transplant and how do they compare to adults born with healthy hearts who suddenly need a heart transplant regarding where they would fall on "the list"? What are some of the devices used as a bridge to transplant? How do those devices play into the new criteria...

What was it like to be born in 1965 with a severe congenital heart defect in Venezuela? What kind of care was available there? What was a parent to do? Tune in to this week's episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna" to hear Belen Blanton talk with Anna about her heart journey, how she made it to the USA, and why she has started a nonprofit organization to help children with congenital heart defects i...

Do you know how many children are born every single year around the world with the most common birth defect? What percentage of children born with this condition actually live in a country where appropriate care is available? What are non-government organizations (NGOs) doing to bridge the gap between in care for these most vulnerable people? Tune in to this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna" t...

David Franco was born on December 19, 1966, with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (or cc-TGA). David was actually a pioneer as an early cc-TGA Survivor. He was an avid athlete, an advocate for the congenital heart defect (CHD) community, and a devout Catholic. David passed away after over 5 decades of living with his funky heart. He passed due to complications from his CH...

What is it like to be a physician assistant working in the NICU and then having your firstborn son admitted to the same NICU? Meagan Sheakoski talks to Anna about her experience with Anna after giving birth to a son who had an unknown birth defect. It wasn't until after her son was born that a problem presented itself. Meagan shares what it was like to go from being the expert in the NICU to being...

Texas Reardon is a Heart Warrior. Whitney is his wife of 10 years. Born with a host of congenital heart defects, Texas explains to Anna, in this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna," about his complicated medical history, and some consequences he's had to face due to falling out of medical care for years. Whitney shares her story, with Anna, about the adjustments she's had to make to help her hus...

Ten years ago, Chelsea King discovered that the twins she carried had a potentially deadly secret. The months that followed were full of doctor's appointments, a move to another city, bed rest, and concern. Tune in to hear Chelsea King talk with Host Anna Jaworski about what it was like for her to go from diagnosis through surgeries, and into 2020. Since Chelsea's twin was born with two major cong...

Barbara Ann Angarone is an adult born with a rare congenital heart defect known as dextro-transposition of the great arteries or d-TGA. She had an operation known as the Mustard Procedure. In this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna," Barbara shares with Anna what it was like growing up with d-TGA, her medical history and complications, and what it was like for her to decide to get pregnant and s...

Jeffrey Romine is a CHD survivor, nurse, and patient advocate. Thirty years ago he was born with dextro-transposition of the great arteries,d-TGA, and was the first patient in his hometown of Wichita, Kansas to receive the arterial switch operation (ASO). Afterward, he had two more surgeries during childhood to repair pulmonary stenosis. He is a licensed practical nurse and is currently studying t...

Heart Mom and Registered Nurse, Lori Irvin, joins Anna in this July 2020 episode to talk about COVID-19 and a complication that happens in some children called "MIS-C." Lori joins Anna to talk about the challenges and concerns surrounding coronavirus for families with a child who has a congenital heart defect (or CHD) and offers her perspectives and guidance for staying safe, as well as providing...

Heterotaxy Syndrome is a rare congenital disorder which usually includes a complex congenital heart defect. In this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna," Faith Earnest, a heterotaxy syndrome survivor, shares with Anna what she has uncovered with her research, what her life has been like growing up with this rare congenital syndrome, and what she believes others with heterotaxy syndrome need to kn...

Born in 1960, Kimberly Russell was diagnosed as a "blue baby" and wasn't expected to survive infancy. Kimberly Russell's care for her complex heart was always just a step behind what was necessary to keep her alive. In 2020, Kimberly is preparing to celebrate her 60th birthday with a complex congenital heart defect and she wants to give back to the community which has honored her life. As an autho...

Daphne Davis-Patrick is a mother, a grandmother, a nurse, and an author. She joins Anna in this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna" to share her cardiac journeys as multiple members of her family have had to deal with living with congenital heart defects. Along this journey, Daphne's family discovered a hereditary defect that has affected two of her granddaughters and her son-in-law. The loss of...

Biörn Ivemark is credited with the discovery of Ivemark Syndrome in 1955. According to the National Organisation for Rare Disorders, Ivemark Syndrome is comprised of: 1) an absent or underdeveloped spleen, 2) cardiovascular anomalies and 3) abnormal placement of the organs in the chest and or abdomen. Julia Mayfield is an adult born with this rare genetic condition called Ivemark Syndrome. Julia...

Brandon Lane Phillips and Jeremy Miller are unlikely friends. Brandon was born with tetralogy of Fallot and lived with his family in Louisiana. Jeremy was a child actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Ben Seaver on the hit 1980s sitcom "Growing Pains." The two men met when Brandon, at age 11, had a wish granted to him and he had a chance to meet Jeremy on the set of "Growing Pains" and th...

Annie Ulchak is a unique Heart Warrior. Born in Lima, Peru in 1979 with nomenclature HLHS, she came to the United States for life-saving surgery, after she was adopted. She joins Anna on this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna" to talk to her about what her medical journey has been like, what complications she has encountered as an adult, and how she has taken control of her medical life. In the...

Sandra Wallis is the author of "Not What I Bargained For: My Journey Raising Four Incredible Kids, Including Two With Severe Medical Conditions." She joins Anna in this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna" to talk about what it was like for her to raise two children with special needs and how she because an author. With one child born with spina bifida and another born with gastrointestinal pseud...

Sandra Harper Lamgo has a very special story. She talks with Anna about what it was like for her to grow her family and how one loss, in particular, changed her husband's and her life forever. Undiagnosed hypoplastic left heart syndrome resulted in a tragedy that Sandra never could have predicted. Tune in to hear what happened to Sandra and her family, how the loss of her son, William, has affecte...

Bonnie Hunt is a mother of three children, including a medically complex child, who has spent a lot of time in hospitals and doctors’ offices. Greg has Goldenhar Syndrome, as well as LPA ring-sling complex. She is from the Canadian Prairies and is familiar with many hospitals in the country. She is a devoted mother and advocate for families dealing with Goldenhar Syndrome. Bonnie joins Anna to tal...

Brandon Lane Phillips, M.D. and Chris Donald, RN are a unique doctor-nurse duo. Both of these professionals work with children born with heart defects -- just as both of them were born with heart defects themselves. In this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna," this medical pair talks with Anna about how they met, why they work together, and why they choose to work with families like their own. R...

Silent Cries is an internationally acclaimed documentary created by the father of a son with hypoplastic left heart syndrome for the congenital heart defect community. David Franco was an instrumental part of the team that helped to create this documentary. In this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna," we meet three other members of the team responsible for the documentary. Phillip Wolf, Nicole V...

Navin P. Kumar is an extraordinary person who has met medical challenges head-on with a positive attitude and a smile. As a child of the 1970s born with a rare, severe congenital heart defect, Navin has endured multiple open-heart surgeries. He was operated on by cardiac surgeon legend Denton Cooley and feels he owes a debt of gratitude to many for his survival. In this episode of "Heart to Heart...