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Adults Living with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD)

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We are right in the middle of Congenital Hearts Defect (CHD) Awareness Week, which runs from February 7th through 14th. I am glad to see so many posts on social media to help draw awareness! Many of those posts center around children with CHD, which is good as heart defects are the most common birth defect in the United States. But many people are unaware of how CHD affects adults. Hence, this blog post!  In 2010, there were 1.4 million adults in the United States living with congenital heart defects (CHD). Due to increased survival, this number increases by about 5% every year. These numbers are significant considering that at one time babies born with CHD had virtually no chance of becoming an adult. Thanks to surgical advances and research in pediatric cardiology in the past 50 years, most congenital heart defects have been able to be corrected. Today, babies born with heart defects have a much better outlook than they did 50, or even 15 years ago. February 7-14th is CHD Awar...
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Faith's 4 Year Day Program Anniversary

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This past week marked a huge milestone in Faith's life - she has been at her day program for 4 years! I well remember how excited I felt when I found out that in order to qualify for the program, all she needed was to be 18 and have a high school diploma.  I know that is not the case in some states. And in many cases, parents choose to have their special needs child in school until they are 21 and then after that they can attend a day program. For Faith though, since I homeschooled her, we were both ready for her to move on to her adult life when she turned 18!  Faith at the Science Center with one of her day program staff  After a few meetings with her case manager and day program staff, she was ready for her first day. But was I? She was excited when I dropped her off, but as I drove away from the building, I began to cry. Would she really be okay here? Would staff know what to do if she looked uncomfortable or seemed like she was in pain? Faith is verbal, but she canno...
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My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2025

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Before getting to my Top 10 Blog Posts of 2025, I want to say how amazed I am that this blog continues to get the views that it does, especially since so many people say that blogging is becoming outdated. (This year alone my blog received over 81,000 views!) Videos and podcasts are all the rage these days, but I have always been a bit old school.  One reason I keep up with my blog is that it offers a creative outlet and doing it helps me feel less stressed. It also reminds me that this is one project that I started and have continued. (I love to start new projects but have a hard time keeping them going or finishing them. I will try to work on that this year!)  Yet one more reason is because I want to give God glory for all that He has done in my life and use the gift that He has given me to hopefully be a blessing and an encouragement to others.  In 2025, here were my most-viewed blogs:  10. Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month: Reflecting On Our Journey So Far  Fai...
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Christmas 2025 and the Worst Flu Bug Ever

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Faith and I barely made it through Christmas before she got hit hard with the flu bug. (Which is why this blog post is a bit delayed!) Leading up to the night of the 25th, we were enjoying lots of music, goodies, and family time.  One event that has become a tradition for us is going to the Nutcracker ballet. This year's performance marked the 8th one in a row that we have attended! We love everything about the Nutcracker - the music, the costumes, the different scenes, the talented dancers, seeing some of our friends onstage, and the seasonal excitement in the atmosphere! Ready to go to the Nutcracker! Of course, the week after the Nutcracker always proves to be a busy one, as it is one week before Christmas! Faith had her usual therapies and while she was at her day program, I would do all of my running around. During one of the gift shopping excursions, I ran into my brother Todd! We had lots of fun catching up, right there at Fleet Farm!  My little bro and I hanging out at...
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Feeling Thankful for These 10 Things!

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Thanksgiving is of course a time to reflect upon the things for which we are thankful. But like I told Faith the other day, I think we both thank God every day for the blessings he has bestowed upon us.  Each night, we read a scripture together (it's usually one Faith has memorized such as Psalm 23 or John 3:16-21). After our scripture, we recite "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). At the end of that verse, we add our little cheer, "Do good deeds! Say nice things! Be kind!"  This little cheer is just a way to remind both of us, that's how God wants us to act every day. Then we pray, which often begins by thanking God for all that He has done for us and then we pray for others. But the other night after prayer time, I asked Faith to tell me some things she was really thankful for. I told her what I was thankful for as well.  This year, we are feeling especially thankful for ...
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Faith's Epic 22nd Birthday Weekend

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 A while back I had asked Faith what she wanted to do for her birthday. A concert? NDSU Bison game? A mini trip somewhere? Nope, nope, and nope. All she wanted for her birthday was to have a party at the church. She then started naming names of people she wanted to invite. And then she just kept inviting people. (And even recruiting people to help decorate). It was going to be a big party!  Birthday cookies!  Her birthday celebration actually began on Friday. Instead of sharing cupcakes this year with her day program peers and staff, she wanted her Auntie Dawn to make monster cookies for everyone. Faith was so excited to stop by Dawn's office on Friday morning to pick up the cookies.  That evening, I took her to adaptive dance at Northern Plains Dance and was surprised to learn she had a different helper for the evening - her good friend, Maddie! They had fun, but I think Faith just wanted to visit with her instead of dance! After getting home, Faith relaxed to watch...
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