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Lorrie Hill grew up in Texas, mostly Houston and Dallas. She was born with a single ventricle heart and has had four open-heart surgeries in her 25 years, including a pulmonary artery band and bi-directional Glenn shunt. She was listed for a heart transplant on February 24th, 2020. During this time, she graduated with honors from Texas A & M and moved to Houston to be closer to Texas Children's Hospital and to start her master of public health degree.

Unfortunately, due to increased symptoms and increased physical decline, Lorrie was admitted to the hospital in early February 2021 to finish the wait for her transplant. After seven weeks of being inpatient, Lorrie received her new heart on March 31st, 2021. After a bout of rejection and two biopsies in the first 3.5 weeks post-transplant, Lorrie was able to go home and continue the recovery process there.

Lorrie has been a Guest on "Heart to Heart with Anna" previously to share what it was like for her as she began to decline. She wanted to help others understand what it was like to go into congestive heart failure and have to make critical decisions for end-of-life care. We appreciate how earnest she has been with us and how much she has shared her own personal journey to help others who might be facing the same situation.

Links to Lorrie's other episodes:

Waiting for a Heart
Still Waiting for a Heart
8th Anniversary Special: Part 1

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In this episode celebrating 8 years of “Heart to Heart with Anna," we have many of the Hearts Unite the Globe (HUG) Volunteers, the HUG Medical Advisory Board, and our Patrons.

Links to participants' past shows (if applicable):

Kathy Ware
A Heart Warrior’s Early Onset Menopause
From Learning Disabled to College Professor
Panel Discussion on Labels or Terms Used in the Heart Community
Chris Freeman
Marta Montero
CHDs Around The Globe Puerto Rico
You’re Never Too Old to Dream a New Dream: Education for Heart Parents
Guerreros Del Corazon
Deb Gerrits
Lisa Colvil
Lisa Colvil: Heart Warrior Author and Poet
Three Generations: Heart Warrior, Heart Mom & Heart Daughter
Brenda Vignaroli Pool
How Parents’ Relationships are Affected by Having a Child with a CHD
Belen Blanton
Heart Warrior from Venezuela to the USA
Sajani Nair
Mom to an Adult Heart Warrior in India
Dr. Huie Lin
5th Annual Adult Congenital Heart Symposium
Dr. Fred Wu
Advancements in Understanding the Liver in Fontan Patients: Part 1
Advancements in Understanding the Liver in Fontan Patients: Part 2
Coronary Artery Disease in the Congenital Heart Defect Community
Continuing Education for Understanding the Liver in Fontan Patients
Deena Barber, RN
Nurse Burnout in the CHD Community Part 1
Nurse Burnout in the CHD Community Part 2
The Natural Course of Congenital Heart Disease
A Nurses Perspective: Changes in Care over the last 30 Years: Part 1
A Nurses Perspective: Changes in Care over the last 30 Years: Part 2
Roslyn Rivera, RN
A View From the Other Side of the Bed
Nurse Burnout in the CHD Community Part 1
Nurse Burnout in the CHD Community Part 2
Congenital Heart Defects Around the Globe: The Novak Cardiac Alliance

Sheri Turner is our newest Defender Patron and she also serves as a HUG Volunteer. Thank you so much for your generosity and all you do, Sheri!

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Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link

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In this first of a 2-part series of episodes celebrating 8 years of “Heart to Heart with Anna. we have many of the Hearts Unite the Globe (HUG) Volunteers, the HUG Medical Advisory Board, and our Patrons celebrating and sharing with us.

Our participants and links to their past shows (if applicable):

HUG Volunteers

Rita Scoggins
Congenital Heart Defect Awareness 2015!
Heart Warrior Mom Raising Children to Adulthood
Allison Holmes
Thriving with CHD
Vicki Lucas
Special Education Transitions for Heart Warriors
The Changing Landscape of Care for Young Adults with CCHDs
What is Normal Child Development in Children with Complex Congenital Heart Defects?
Megan Tones
Expressions from the Heart on HeartWire
Travels of a Heart Warrior!
When You're Married to a Heart Warrior
One Heart Warrior’s Educational Experience Down Under
CHD in the 1980s: Mum, Dad and Daughter
Janet Thompson
Deborah Meisten Nagarajan
A Family Dealing with Tetralogy of Fallot
Lorrie Hill:
Waiting for a Heart
Still Waiting for a Heart
Laura Ryan:
Heart Warrior Mom Raising Children to Adulthood
Panel Discussion on Labels or Terms Used in the Heart Community
A Heart Warrior’s Early Onset Menopause
Living with a Bi-Directional Glenn Heart

HUG Medical Advisory Board Members
Dr. Brandon Lane Phillips
Interwoven Lives and Congenital Heart Defects
Heart Warrior Doctor-Nurse Team: Treating Pediatric Cardiology Patients
A Wish-Made Friendship
Chris Donald, RN
Heart Warrior Doctor-Nurse Team: Treating Pediatric Cardiology Patients
Dr. Edward Bove
Advancements in Treatments for HLHS Heart Warriors

Sheri Turner is our newest Defender Patron and she also serves as a HUG Volunteer. Thank you so much for your generosity and all you do, Sheri!

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Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link

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How does having obstacles to playing sports affect a boy’s feelings of self-worth when growing up? In what ways can a young man feed his desire for sports and athletics, even if his body isn’t able to do what his mind wishes he could do? How can an adult Heart Warrior enjoy a passion for sports when he only has half a heart?

Michael Hills was born in February of 1998 in Ontario, Canada. He was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome when he was five and a half months old. He has had three surgeries: a Norwood at nearly six months, a Glenn at nine months, and a Fontan at two years and four months of age. Ever since the last surgery, he has enjoyed good health. Michael has a passion for sports and played on several sports teams during his school days. Since leaving school, he has studied sports management and sport and event marketing and currently works for a variety of sports clubs and teams. He also enjoys traveling to different countries. Michael wants to share his story about how sports allowed him to live a life with joy and a sense of normalcy, and to show a healthy, active life with complex CHD is possible. 

Links mentioned in the episode:

Links Michael sent me to better understand curling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igG5WyPvyDo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iZbrteHx1o

Please visit our Social Media and Podcast pages:

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Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=16817 (we both benefit if you sign up with Buzzsprout with my link - yay!)

Sheri Turner is our newest Defender Patron and she also serves as a HUG Volunteer. Thank you so much for your generosity and all you do, Sheri!

Support the show

Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link

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Why are conferences specifically for adults with congenital heart defects important? Who attends ACHD conferences? What can a person expect to learn at a virtual conference?

Annie Ulchak was born in Lima, Peru in 1979 with nomenclature HLHS, pulmonary stenosis, double inlet right atrium, and double outlet right ventricle.  She was adopted and had the two-stage HLHS process: BT shunt at age 3 and classic Fontan at age 7 at Boston Children's Hospital.  She was diagnosed with CHF and cardiac cirrhosis in 2010.  In June 2014, she was diagnosed with autoimmune serositis of the peritoneum. In December 2014 and January 2015, she was diagnosed with atrial flutters and has undergone two cardiac ablations. Following her most recent health struggles, Annie developed a passion for nutrition and improved her health dramatically via an overhaul of her diet. Annie works full-time as a dual executive assistant and project coordinator for a prominent Boston health care system.  When she's not working she can be found volunteering at Quincy Animal Shelter or cooking something delicious in her kitchen.

In this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna," Annie will be sharing with us a little bit about her history, how she became involved with Houston Methodist Hospital, and what we can expect from their upcoming Adult Congenital Heart Conference -- which will be virtual this year. Annie will tell us how she'll be participating in the conference and what others in the CHD community can expect to hear and learn, and why it's important for us to have conferences devoted to adults with congenital heart defects.

Links to things discussed in this episode:

Annie's former "Heart to Heart with Anna" episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/62761/4107911

Registration Link for the Houston Methodist Adults with Congenital Heart Disease Conference: https://tinyurl.com/62nx499d

Fontan Outcomes Network: https://www.fontanoutcomesnetwork.org/

Please visit our Social Media and Podcast pages:

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Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=16817 (we both benefit if you sign up with Buzzsprout with my link - yay!)

Sheri Turner is our newest Defender Patron and she also serves as a HUG Volunteer. Thank you so much for your generosity and all you do, Sheri!

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Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link

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What is it like to be the mom of not one but two children with CHD? 

How can you manage epilepsy in a child with CHD?

Melanie Letzer is a geriatric nurse practitioner. She lives in Maryland with her husband Jack and their three children. Her older son, Freddy, now 16, was born with Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia with Multiple Aortopulmonary Collateral Arteries (MAPCAS). Her younger son, Nicholas, now 5, was also born with TOF and later developed epilepsy. Melanie and John also have a heart-healthy daughter, Alexandra, who is 13.

In this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna," Melanie talks with Anna about finding out her sons would be born with heart defects, their surgical treatments, and what it was like for Melanie to have a heart-healthy daughter. She also talks a bit about their family dynamic and their philosophy in living with chronic illness.

Links to 'Heart to Heart with Anna' Social Media and Podcast Pages:

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Website: https://www.hug-podcastnetwork.com/

Sheri Turner is our newest Defender Patron and she also serves as a HUG Volunteer. Thank you so much for your generosity and all you do, Sheri!

Support the show

Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link

Baby Blue Sound Collective

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What was it like raising a daughter with a congenital heart defect in Australia in the 1980s? What challenges did parents of a daughter requiring open-heart surgery face? What does an adult Heart Warrior appreciate about her parents now that she's all grown up?

Donna and Ian were born in Brisbane, Australia in the 1950s. They met in the early 1980s and married in 1982. Megan was born in February 1983. All was going well for the new family until Megan became unwell at 6 days old. Megan made her first ambulance trip to the pediatric cardiology unit at Prince Charles Hospital. With her parents by her side, Megan spent the first four months of her life in the hospital where she had a pulmonary banding operation and finally became strong enough to go home. Megan had two more surgeries as a child, at age 5 and 10, and one surgery at age 25. Today, Donna is very active in her local church and the sewing guild, and Ian plays drums in several local bands.  

Megan's former "Heart to Heart with Anna" appearances:

"Expressions from the Heart on HeartWire" https://www.buzzsprout.com/62761/398986
"One Heart Warrior's Educational Experience Down Under" https://www.buzzsprout.com/62761/546571
"Travels of a Heart Warrior" https://www.buzzsprout.com/62761/1512628
"When You're Married to a Heart Warrior" https://www.buzzsprout.com/62761/1686034

Links to 'Heart to Heart with Anna' Social Media and Podcast Pages:

Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-to-heart-with-anna/id1132261435?mt=2

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HearttoHeartwithAnna/

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGPKwIU5M_YOxvtWepFR5Zw

Website: https://www.hug-podcastnetwork.com/

Sheri Turner is our newest Defender Patron and she also serves as a HUG Volunteer. Thank you so much for your generosity and all you do, Sheri!

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Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link

Baby Blue Sound Collective

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What lessons can we learn from our Heart Warriors? Why might a Heart Mom write a book about her life experiences dealing with CHD? How does a Heart Mom use her personal experiences to fight for others in the hospital?

Australian Libby Andrew is a busy mom to four sons: John, 14, Matthew, 12, Stuart, 10, and Daniel, 7. Her youngest son Daniel was born with half a heart. Diagnosed in utero at 20 weeks, Daniel was not expected to survive. He had his first surgery at 21 days old, his second surgery, a Glenn shunt, at 5 months, and a Fontan at 3.5 years of age. 

Unable to find the resources she needed to guide her on her journey, Libby wrote a book “Living with HALF A HEART: A Mother's Guide to Navigating Fontan Surgery.”   

Since his surgeries, Daniel has been thriving - he enjoys being with his older brothers and attends school. 

Libby's show on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Living-HALF-HEART-Mothers-Navigating/dp/1925884910/ref

Libby's book in The Heart Community Collection: https://heartcollection.wixsite.com/bookstore/chd-education-wellness

Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link (if you'd like to try Buzzsprout for your podcast and get a bonus gift card -- and Anna will, too!) use this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=16817
 

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Website: https://www.hug-podcastnetwork.com/

Sheri Turner is our newest Defender Patron and she also serves as a HUG Volunteer. Thank you so much for your generosity and all you do, Sheri!

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Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link

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What was it like to grow up with tetralogy of Fallot in the 1980s? How can having a heart defect influence your career choice as an adult? What psychological challenges do Heart Warriors face?

Joy Ogawa was born in Hawaii with tetralogy of Fallot in 1979  and had an open-heart surgery at 22 months of age. She considers herself lucky to have only experienced one surgery in her lifetime.

Despite other health issues affecting her eyes, ears, abdomen, and her emotional wellbeing, Joy was able to participate in physical activities and complete her education and is now a psychologist working in Corrections/Public Safety. 

Joy highlights her experience of living with CHD in her newly released self-published, illustrated children’s book “I am a Heart Warrior.”

In this episode of “Heart to Heart with Anna,” Joy shares with Anna some of the medical challenges she has faced over her 40+ years of living with a congenital heart defect and why she considers herself to be as fortunate as she is.

Links mentioned in the show:

Friends, to donate to Hearts Unite the Globe through the AmazonSmile Program, go here: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/46-4352863. Thank you for your support!

Joy's book on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/djvvvudf

Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link (if you'd like to try Buzzsprout for your podcast and get a bonus gift card -- and Anna will, too!) use this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=16817
 

Links to 'Heart to Heart with Anna' Social Media and Podcast Pages:

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGPKwIU5M_YOxvtWepFR5Zw

Website: https://www.hug-podcastnetwork.com/

Sheri Turner is our newest Defender Patron and she also serves as a HUG Volunteer. Thank you so much for your generosity and all you do, Sheri!

Support the show

Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link

Baby Blue Sound Collective

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Paul Cardall was born in 1973 with only half a heart. He had his first open-heart surgery a few hours after birth and two more surgeries at age 13 and 14. As a child, he took piano lessons but wasn’t keen on practice. As a teenager, he started composing and became obsessed. He was hired to play at weddings, in restaurants, and in department stores. In 1994, author Richard Paul Evans invited him to compose a musical adaptation of his No. 1 New York Times best-selling novel "The Christmas Box," which helped launch his professional career. In 1999, Paul founded Stone Angel Music, where he released his albums independently. His albums debuted at Number One on eight Billboard charts and have earned over 2 billion streams on Pandora alone. By 2008, Paul's health had declined to the point where he was placed on the transplant list. Following his transplant in 2009, Paul experienced newfound energy. Today, he lives a very full and active life as an entrepreneur, recording artist, husband, and father. 

In this episode of "Heart to Heart with Anna," Paul talks with Anna about being born with a congenital heart defect and growing up with that condition until his heart could no longer sustain his life. Paul Cardall also talks about the event that caused him to rediscover the power of music and what music has done for him mentally and emotionally. Additionally, Paul conveys what service means to him and how his music has enabled him to serve others in the congenital heart defect community.

Links mentioned in this program:

Paul's Website, Book and Album: https://www.thebrokenmiracle.com/ 
Paul's Podcast (All Heart with Paul Cardall): https://paulcardall.com/podcast


Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link (if you'd like to try Buzzsprout for your podcast and get a bonus gift card -- and Anna will, too!) use this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=16817
 

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Website: https://www.hug-podcastnetwork.com/

Sheri Turner is our newest Defender Patron and she also serves as a HUG Volunteer. Thank you so much for your generosity and all you do, Sheri!

Support the show

Anna's Buzzsprout Affiliate Link

Baby Blue Sound Collective

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