American Heart Association
I was first introduced to the American Heart Association when I was 19 years-old, attending college. I was a student at Sam Houston State University and went through my first CPR certification, which was a requirement to be a group fitness instructor. Little did I know then that the American Heart Association would later impact the life of my third child, Kyle.
Kyle was born on April 8, 2006 at the Nativity Birth Center in The Woodlands, Texas. The next day I went home with my beautiful son who I thought was perfectly healthy. When my midwife, Melanie Dossey, came to do Kyle’s check up the next day, she entered the house expecting to see both of us doing well. We walked into the bedroom where he slept soundly and she lifted his tiny t-shirt to listen to his heart. As I watched, her expression went from smiling to serious, her eyes from cheerful to concentrated. I had noticed that Kyle seemed to pant while he slept, like a little puppy dog after a few tosses of a ball during a game of fetch. Not aware of the significance of his breathing pattern, I chalked it off to a newborn sleep pattern and did not think twice about it again. Melanie advised me to immediately make an appointment with my pediatrician, Dr. Roland Flanagan.
Dr. Flanagan saw us that afternoon and his response mirrored Melanie’s. My heart sank as I realized that something was not right with my precious new bundle. He indicated that Kyle had an irregular heart beat and arranged for us to have an appointment with Dr. Grenier, a pediatric cardiologist, from Texas Children’s Hospital. I‘ll never forget the way I felt as my husband, Skeeter, and I sat with Kyle in the waiting room. He was only four days old and when you looked at him you would never guess that something was wrong – I just couldn’t believe it!
After some tests and a visit with Dr. Grenier, she told us, “The good news is that Kyle will not need surgery today.” Just thinking about that moment now brings back the feelings of fear that radiated through my body when she uttered those words. Dr. Grenier informed us that Kyle had a defect between the heart's two lower chambers (the ventricles) called a Ventricular Septal Defect or VSD – which basically means Kyle had a moderate sized hole in his heart. That is why he was panting - his heart had to pump twice as hard in order to get the blood to go where it was needed.
We were told that he would have to begin medicine immediately and that he needed to be kept at home 24/7 with little contact from others outside of our home. Dr. Grenier cautioned us that any virus he might come in contact with could be fatal.
The last thing Dr. Grenier said before we left was “Now don’t go home and get on the internet to Google this condition. Go to the American Heart Association website and they will have all the information you need to know about Kyle’s condition. Then if you have questions you can contact me directly and I will be your guide. Dr. Grenier was right. The American Heart Association’s information was complete, easy to understand, and gave us a sense of hope regarding Kyle’s future.
Kyle’s journey through the first year of life was filled with many prayers, doctor visits, restricted activity, and worry. Words cannot express how we felt on the day that Dr. Grenier exclaimed “Well, the hole appears to be repairing itself!” Just a few months after Kyle’s first birthday Dr. Grenier said that the VSD was officially closed! Kyle still has ‘floppy valves,’ but is able to run and play just like a normal, healthy child. Hopefully we’ll never have to visit Dr. Grenier’s office again!
From that first moment in college I have never let my American Heart Association CPR certification lapse. As a group fitness instructor I have always had the opportunity to spread the important message about heart health and have encouraged countless men and women on their journey to health and wellness. I am a card-carrying AHA CPR certified instructor, proud mother of a heart healthy child, a grateful supporter of the American Heart Association.