Happy Heart Day ❤️
Surviving Ten Years of #22q #CHD and now #T1D
We all have our own struggles in life. Sometimes, I have to write things down to help make sense of the world. This is the first of many more blogs to bring awareness, hope, and inspiration to the countless people coping and thriving with autoimmune and genetic challenges. Ruby is my Why, and I am her Rock.
We call this day “Happy ❤ ️ Day. Ten years ago on 11/9/2009, my 5-month-old daughter Ruby underwent her first Open Heart Surgery #OHS to correct her Congenital Heart Defect known Tetralogy of Fallot, Pulmonary Atresia and MAPCAs caused by a Chromosome deletion of 22q11.2, AKA #22 or DiGeorge Syndrome. It was at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, taking over 12+ hours to correct, with the help of a generous donor for pulmonary valve, closing the hole in her heart, and completely correct the blood flow to direct blood to the lungs before moving to the opposite side of the heart.
Before surgery, she survived through the flow of mixed deoxygenated blood via collateral vessels that her body formed while in the womb from the Aorta to the lungs. She later went on to have another Open Heart Surgery to replace parts with porcine valves and further corrective surgery at age 5 but will return for more as she grows into her teens.
On May 4, 2019, Ruby was diagnosed with Type I #Diabetes, which affects all of our day-to-day decisions and actions. We manage Blood Glucose levels with multiple finger-pokes and widely varying levels of #insulin injections throughout the day every few hours and whenever she eats.
Computing this critical value provides a *formula for life.*
Insulin Dose= [ Carbs/Ratio + ( BG — Target ) / Correction ]
Ruby is the strongest and most inspiring person in my life! Happy ❤ Day!
There are *no cures* for genetic defects like 22q chromosome deletion, nor are there cures for Type I Diabetes. But with resilient persistence, we can overcome some of the challenges, learn better ways to manage daily life, and work towards new innovative solutions in supporting and caring for those who need it most.
Now with 19 years of experience, Dan Emmons strives to make issues that seem complex, overwhelming, or insurmountable more manageable for the Team, and to provide exceptional service that exceeds clients’ expectations. For more information, contact him on LinkedIn or through Emmonspired LLC.
