Angels

This post has been hard for me to write:

There was a - some would say little boy, others would say young man, while others would say teen that earned his wings today.

He like many of the other CHD kiddos fought most of his life to "be healthy" or - better yet, be as healthy as he could be.  For you see, even though most of the CHD kids that I have seen or met pretty much always have a smile on their face, light up a room when they walk in, know just how to lay their hand on your shoulder or face, and have the ability to cover their scars - they are always in some way or another fighting.

Some will be fighting to keep their hearts beating, while others will be fighting to keep them from beating too fast.  Others, fight for each breath or just to keep a "simple" bacteria or virus out of their body.

It can be a scary world, a happy world, a sad world, but it will always be a unique world and a world that is difficult for someone on the "outside" to understand.  Why we look over our shoulder and cover the mouths & noses of our loved ones when someone sneezes, why we wipe the handles of our vehicles before we get in, put sanitizer on our hands after we close the doors.  Sometime a new "norm" can get the best of you.

You may ask - why do I put the last part in, I bring this up all the time.  Well, anytime a baby, child, teen, adult with a CHD earns their wings it is easy to fall into a very protective mode, so please understand if you see these actions.

As for the smiling angel above - you will be greatly missed and have been an inspiration to all of us!
May your parents find the peace that they need and know that we will all be there for them.