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The importance of early childhood education (ECI) cannot be denied. At-risk children who are given ECI tend to do better and many can even start kindergarden with their peers. Today's program features Roxanne Montalvo-Tsai, a heart mom to a healthy little boy and twin girls who were both born with tetralogy of Fallot. Enjoy today's program as Roxanne shares with Anna how she worked to provide little Jasmine and Selena with all of the assistance she could while they were infants and into early childhood and how, now that they are toddlers and 3 years of age, she is enrolling them in her public school's ECI program. Discover some of the strengths and weaknesses the twins already have and what Roxanne believes they need in order to start kindergarten with their peers, and without any outside assistance!

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For many parents, after they have a child with a critical congenital heart defect their world completely stops for a time. Some parents become paralyzed with fear. They are afraid to move forward because while pursuing their own dreams, their baby could become sick and perhaps even die! This makes it very difficult for parents because in pursuing their dreams, they might feel they are behaving selfishly, even if that isn't the case. Today Marta Montero shares with Anna her journey toward achieving her doctoral degree while dealing with a son with a single ventricle diagnosis. Learn how she has managed to have it all and how she believes what she is doing is an opportunity to do something good even while dealing with something as difficult as raising children with special needs.

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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It's back-to-school time and "Heart to Heart with Anna" wants to make sure that Heart Parents are prepared to send their Heart Warriors back to school! Enjoy today's program with Lisa O'Connor, a special education advocate. Lisa shares with Anna some of the accommodations that many children with special needs have and how Heart Warriors need an Individualized Health Care Plan. Tune in to hear Lisa share her experience working with special needs families so you can be a strong advocate for your child!

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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What happens when our Heart Warriors age out of high school but are not ready for college or trade school? What can parents do to prepare their children for adulthood when cognitively they may not be where their peers are? Join us today as Kathy Keller shares her experiences and advice with us! Kathy's Heart Warrior, Garrett, was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and has had strokes, plastic bronchitis a heart transplant and has benefitted from many special programs that are enabling him to have a quality life as an adult. Tune in to hear about challenges Garrett has faced, how his entire family has come together to help him lead a quality of life and preparations Kathy has made to ensure Garrett will be taken care of far into the future.

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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Season 10 of Heart to Heart with Anna is focused on educational issues but almost all of the programs have dealt with Heart Warriors in the United States. Join us with this program as we go Down Under to talk with an Australian Heart Warrior and what she experienced growing up with a congenital heart defect. Did Megan have the same kind of experiences her American counterparts had? What advice does Megan have for others in the Heart Community? What kind of things did Megan's parents do which she felt have helped her in her adult life? Tune in for the answers to these questions and more!

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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Join us in this episode as we investigate a world filled with acronyms and letters (504 Plans, IEPs, ARDs). Special Education Instructor and Heart Mom Marie O'Donnell demystifies the world of special education as she explains what different kind of special education plans are, who can benefit from them and how the plans for children born with congenital heart defect can change over time. Discover what Marie has learned from being both a parent of a special needs child and the teacher who works with special needs children. Find out what things might be different from state to state (if you live in the United States) but what things are constant. Anna and Marie dig deeply into the world of special education from Early Childhood Education all the way to graduation. You won't want to miss this informative program.

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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The number of families in the United States and around the world who are choosing to homeschool seems to be on the rise. There are a number of countries where it is illegal to homeschool but in the countries where it is not illegal, it is a viable option and often reaps great rewards for the children and the families as a whole. For many people, homeschooling is more than an educational option -- it's a lifestyle choice. Homeschoolers frequently have more opportunities to serve their communities and to interact with people of all ages than children who attend traditional brick-and-mortar schools.. Tune in to this program to hear experienced homeschool mother Chelle McIntyre-Brewer share with Anna what event caused her to homeschool her two children, what advantages she believes the children have been afforded by being homeschooled and how they are learning self-advocacy in addition to typical subjects. Chelle McIntyre-Brewer is a military wife and she details how choosing to homeschool has been an excellent option for her family. She talks about curriculum, socialization and other popular topics related to homeschooling in this episode with Anna Jaworski. You won't want to miss how these two Heart Moms talk about what homeschooling meant to them regarding their heart-healthy children and their children with congenital heart defects.

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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What happens when you expect a perfectly healthy baby but after delivery you discover your baby has a heart defect -- one that will require open-heart-surgery to fix? How can ordinary parents learn about the function of the heart? What should they teach their children about their heart defects? Who can help parents to learn about heart defects? What kind of support is available for parents of children with broken hearts?Tune in to hear Katina Robalino discuss this important topic. As a teacher, Katina knows the importance of having valuable information before making potentially life-threatening decisions. Discover what Katina did to educate herself and how she now advocates for her two daughters born with congenital heart defects and the heart-healthy daughter she has as well. Learn from this teacher how you can teach your own children and what information they should be given at different levels of development.

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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It is a commonly known fact in the congenital heart defect (CHD) community that now there are more adults alive with CHDs than babies being born. That means we have more people reaching adulthood than ever before and that means that more people than ever before have had to make the transitions from infancy to adulthood with a special heart. What does that mean for children born with critical congenital heart defects?What special struggles might they face? How can parents help their children to transition over the course of their lives? What do parents need to do to help their children become independent and successful? If infants are diagnosed as a "special needs children" will they ever be able to shake that label to live "normal" lives? Vicki Lucas, special educator and Heart Mom, shares her stories about watching her son, Alex (born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome or HLHS) go from infancy to adulthood. She expounds upon some of the struggles Alex endured and how he has achieved success as an adult. You won't want to miss this inspiring program.

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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This season we're focusing on education for Heart Warriors and today's show exemplifies how learning is a life-long process. Today's show deals not only with how Heart Warriors can continue their eduation about congenital heart defects (CHDs), but how the entire CHD community can continue to become better education about heart issues. Perhaps even more importantly, today's episode speaks directly to how the CHD community can grow by having families and the professionals who serve them come together. Find out how the Atlantic Canadian region services their CHD community through the development of support groups (both online and face-to-face), conferences and summer camps specifically for Heart Warriors.Today's Guest is Heart Mom and Braveheart Support Society Founder, Yarrow Gillis. She'll entertain us with stories about the growth and development of multiple resources for the CHD community and how Listeners can take advantage of those resources, even if they don't live i

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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