February 12, 2022

Accepting your CHD and Thriving

28 minutes

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What is Double Outlet Right Ventricle? What is TAPVR? How did living with congenital heart defects influence Michael McKelvey’s life growing up? What has Michael achieved in adulthood?

Michael McKelvey is 30 years old and lives with a complex congenital heart defect (CHD) called double outlet right ventricle, or DORV. He works as an internet service provider technician in Pittsburgh. Growing up, life wasn't easy for Michael. He underwent four open-heart surgeries between the ages of 9 days and 16 years and was a small, skinny, sickly kid who was always told what he couldn't do. As he grew older and began to understand his CHD, he struggled to accept his condition. Over time, this changed and he began to embrace what he could do. Today, Michael is married and lives a very active lifestyle even though he will face more surgeries in the future. He is talking to us today in the hopes that his outlook can help others.

Links to helpful sites and to materials mentioned in the show:

TAPVR: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/total-anomalous-pulmonary-venous-return/cdc-20385613#dialogId36635208

DORV: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/dorv.html#:~:text=Double%20outlet%20right%20ventricle%20(DORV)%20is%20a%20heart%20defect%20where,it%20is%20born%20with%20it.

Pulmonary artery banding: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/905353-overview

Michael’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NPGuIh9LmA

Michael’s poem: https://shareyourheart.live/poem-michael?fbclid=IwAR2T8vC4Fxikw0C6aiBom0MR6goKJCS2m5rEFzccX82LwTSc0VzKXnOjQNw

Tom Dahlborg's page: https://www.theheartcommunitycollection.com/thomas-dahlborg

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