Cardiac Health Awareness

Since it's a quiet Saturday morning, I thought it might be a good time for a little public service announcement. Heart health has obviously been on our mind lately, and we've wondered if we could have done anything to catch Eddie's condition prior to his first collapse in January. In hindsight, there were a few warning signs like poor appetite, chronic respiratory problems, and being underweight. But how do you make the leap from identifying isolated symptoms to engaging in a more earnest (and frightening) conversation with your pediatrician?

I thought some of you (especially those with children that actively participate in competitive athletics) would find the info from the following sources helpful. The first is a book that you can find at kcls.org: "The Heart of a Child: What Families Need to know About Heart Disorders in Children". Also the recent (and unfortunately titled) SeattleMamaDoc blog entry "How to Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Athletes."

Make sure you talk to your pediatricians about your child's heart health at every visit... and feel free to use our example as proof that you're not just being a paranoid parent!

And finally, if you're reading this in the Seattle area, get outside and enjoy the wonderful weather!