When Vittorio Borrelli, heart transplant and cancer survivor, recounts his journey, you feel every heartbeat of his tale. Our latest episode honours the beauty of resilience through digital storytelling, providing a platform for individuals like Vittorio to share their experiences with congenital heart disease (CHD). He joins us to discuss his digital story, The Call, a narrative, emphasizing the crucial role of storytelling in connecting the dots between pediatric and adult CHD care. We delve into how sharing personal stories not only aids in healing and understanding but also strengthens community bonds among those affected by CHD.

This conversation traverses the landscape of healthcare and personal identity, highlighting digital storytelling's impact as an educational and empathy-building tool. Sickboy podcast host, Jeremie Saunders' vivid recollection of Vittorio's digital story from the Children's Healthcare Canada conference exemplifies its potential to leave a lasting impression, sparking deep discussions and fostering connections. In this episode, we reflect on the meaningful moments shared through a digital storytelling retreat conducted in partnership with Heart Beats Children's Society of Calgary and Western Canadian Children's Heart Network. Both Jacqui's memorable visit to the Libin Heart Institute and the evolution of Maddie's story, illustrate the unexpected and transformative journey storytelling can provoke. Tune in for a heartfelt exploration of how these stories not only touch lives but also inspire action and understanding across the healthcare spectrum.

To see each of the stories created at Heart Beats digital storytelling retreat for adults with Congenital Heart Disease click here.

About Our Guest

Vittorio Borrelli is a passionate CHD advocate with lived experience. Vittorio was born with Tetralogy of Fallot and is an adult transplant patient. Vittorio grew up in the Heart Beats community, his parents having been part of the original founding group for the Heart Beats Childrens Charity. One of Vittorio's roles involved leading the youth and sibling programming for CHD families in Calgary called “Offbeats” which is an opportunity for junior and senior high-school youth with CHDs to connect, socialize and have fun with peers. 

Watch the Looking Back video with Mike Lang & Kristy Wolfe

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