where there's a will: *there's 4 books on hearts (and a giveaway!)

that I thought you might want to know about and that I want to have.

1. Walk on Water: The Miracle of Saving Children's Lives
by Michael Ruhlman

2. In a Heartbeat: A Baby's Heart, A Surgeon's Hands, A Life of Miracles
by Kimberly Russell

3. King of Hearts: The True Story of the Maverick Who Pioneered Open Heart Surgery
by G. Wayne Miller

4. The Parent's Guide to Children's Congenital Heart Defects
by Gerri Freid Kramer and Shari Maurer

This is part of the list of books on congenital heart defects I would like to collect to donate to a hospital or school or heart family. So far I have these three:

My Heart vs The Real World

by Max S. Gerber

I think "real" is the best word to describe this book. The photos are really good, but they are also very somber. It's not a book you want to pick up to be inspired about how great a heart child's life can be. It does convey the hard realities of life with a CHD so be warned that you probably won't feel very cheery after reading.

Before My Heart Stops: A Memoir

by Paul Cardall

I thought this one was good to read whether you are interested in heart defects and organ donation or not. The chapters are partially made up of this survivor's blog during his wait for a heart transplant. I love that it is by an adult. There still is not a lot of information out there from adult survivors' perspectives. Adults with severe congenital heart defects have only begun living to older ages recently since some of the surgical procedures are only around 30 years old. Paul Cardall is beloved and admired in the CHD community and after reading this I understood why.

It's My Heart

(image courtesy of Children's Heart Foundation)

This one has a good overview of all the CHDs and explains them in simple terms. I wish someone would have handed it to me the day Will was diagnosed. Seeing all the information collected into one book like that and knowing that it had been provided to thousands of other families might have helped make it less lonely and scary.

*****

I saw this on another blog today. I LOVE Etsy and this blogger has this announcement for her shop:

In honor and memory of all the children living and lost from CHD's, bekima knits' helping hearts will be donating 20% off every sale, now thru everyone's 'Heart Day' - February 14th.

Proceeds will go to Children's Heart Foundation and Bless Her Heart.

Feel free to copy and paste to help spread the word!