On today’s episode we go over Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a condition that our 10 year old daughter was diagnosed with before birth. We discuss how we have managed to get through the tough situation of having a child with severe medical needs, and continued to have a happy, healthy marriage.

Specific topic discussed in this episode:

• Scott’s work trip. (0:30)
• Our daughter Ivy’s newest diagnosis. (1:45)
• Ivy’s medical issues amping up in the last year. (4:45)
• Why having a child with a medical condition is stressful on a marriage. (5:20)
• Ivy’s story of how she was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). (6:30)
• How we dealt with the news of her heart condition. (8:15)
• Ivy’s birth and immediately afterwards including her first open heart surgery. (9:30)
• Emergency heart surgery. (11:45)
• Slow progress of recovery, and other diagnoses. (13:10)
• Recovery at home after 2 heart surgeries and one intestinal surgery. (15:15)
• More heart surgeries and continuing to have children. (17:15)
• Ivy’s amazingness and why she is the best. (17:55)
• Fear of needles with Ivy and Scott. (20:30)
• Never having to raise our voice with this perfect child. (22:30)
• "Fun" facts of HLHS. How rare it is, why it occurs, treatment, continued risks, etc. (23:40)
• Rochelle being featured on another podcast (Heart 2 Heart with Anna, Episode - Congenital heart awareness at Podcast Movement 2019) to give a short synopsis of Ivy’s story. (28:00)
• More on how we got through and continue to get through everything. (30:30)