Honoring My Anniversary with Our Hearts Grow LLC

Written By Kelsey DeLeon

August 10 is my anniversary — the kind of anniversary only 1% of parents have. It’s the anniversary of the day I found out I would be a heart mom, meaning my child would be born with heart disease. Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect, affecting 1% or 40,000 babies in the United States each year. Despite CHD being common, heart parents — or any parent of a child with complex health needs — experience a lot of uncertainty about the path forward. We all witness incredible strength in our children and many of us become fierce advocates for equitable, accessible, and empowering healthcare. Our children depend on it.

A quick side note: I usually choose not to use the words “disease” and “defect” when I talk about heart health. Why? Because I believe the language we use to describe differences between our bodies has a profound impact on our emotional wellness. Choosing empowering language creates a more accepting world.  

This year on August 10, I feel supported, grounded, and thankful. As I honor my anniversary, I am proud to also honor my journey to motherhood and my passion for health writing and community building by launching Our Hearts Grow LLC. My mission is to write empowering fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and child health resources and cultivate opportunities to give back to families in need. It warms my heart to do this work.

Let’s talk about what we can write for you.

Reference

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, January 24). Data and statistics on congenital heart defects. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/heartdefects/data.html

Kelsey DeLeon

Kelsey is a nurse, health writer, educator, and mother. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, a Bachelor of Arts in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, a Master of Arts in Health Studies (Health Education and Health Promotion). She is Registered Nurse in the State of New York and an Instructor in the Public Health Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her professional background includes health literacy consulting, health writing, public health curriculum development, teaching, and postpartum nursing.

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