EPISODE 12: Growing Up with a Congenital Heart Defect — with Christopher

In this episode, I sat down with my oldest son, Christopher, to share his story of growing up with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect that meant open-heart surgery at just two months old. We wanted to give hope and perspective to parents navigating a diagnosis, and to anyone walking a path they didn’t expect.

We talked about:

• Early hospital stays, surgeries, and the little details that stick with kids

• What it was like for me as a very young mom learning to advocate in the NICU

• The role faith and prayer played in our journey

• Christopher’s teen and adult years, learning limits, managing fatigue, and still playing soccer

• The realities of anxiety, depression, and finding purpose through hard seasons

Through it all, Christopher’s story is about resilience, not letting a diagnosis define you, but finding your own version of “normal” and realizing your story might be the hope someone else needs.

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