Helpful Resources

Throughout the year I often get emails from heart parents about different resources they have found helpful or situations where they've learned something that may be good for others to know.  I would like to share a couple of these items with you today!

1.  "Heart of the Matter" is a documentary produced by the Children's Heart Foundation that takes an in depth look at CHD.  To learn more please visit www.congenitalheartdocumentary.com

2.  "Heart Warriors" a book written by Amanda Rose Adams, a CHD parent, is an honest and very personal narrative about the fight against congenital heart disease.  You can learn more about her story here.

3.  One of the realities of CHD is that parents and children have to cope with a diagnosis no one ever wanted to receive.  The life you live becomes much different than the one you imagined, and while many can find the blessings within this journey, there are also a lot of emotions that may be challenging for families.  "Coping with Childhood Chronic Illness" was recommended to me as a resource that is very informative and validating for parents.

4.  Tip from a heart mom if you are flying somewhere:
Most airlines do not provide oxygen on board anymore (Delta) as they used to so watch for extra paperwork, allow more time and budget for rental of equipment.  Virgin and British Airways both provide oxygen free of charge.

If you have tips for others that you'd like me to share, please feel free to email me at angela.heidelberger@lastingimprint.org! 

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Enjoying Summer

Wow, where has the time gone? I can't believe it is July already!

It is amazing how the summer months fill up so quickly. There are many days I wish I had more time to see the people I always talk about making plans with, especially when it comes to our Lasting Imprint families! I know life gets busy for all of us but I would like to invite you to some special events coming up. This month we have discussion groups happening in Mankato and Eden Prairie, a picnic in Alexandria, and a zoo outing in Sioux Falls. In August we are hosting the annual Twin Cities picnic at Crystal Beach Park in Burnsville! Check out their website here. We are renting the park for the whole day so feel free to come out to eat, swim and relax with us!

Gatherings like these are great opportunities for parents and children to connect!  In fact, they are one of the things most requested by our heart families. The Lasting Imprint staff and I look forward to enjoying this summer with you!

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Two weeks and counting!

I seriously cannot believe we are only two weeks away from "Our Community has Heart! 2012"! We are so excited to have new activities at this year's event including a 5K run and balloon artist for the kids. Our goal of reaching 300 registrants has almost been met! As of the time of this post, 288 people plan to attend! We are well on our way to reaching $20,000 also. It's not too late, encourage friends and family to register by April 25th to take advantage of the early registration fee! You can visit the event site here. Huge thanks to our official event sponsor, Downs Food Group! We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

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They're Here!

Last year the staff of Lasting Imprint decided we wanted to purchase (on our own) jackets with the LI logo on them to wear to our events. After opening up the opportunity to any Lasting Imprint supporters, the order was finally placed and the jackets are in! Professional and eye-catching, we couldn't be happier with how they turned out!



I have already received requests from people wanting to get in on the next order! The cost is $41 per jacket, men's and women's sizes are available. Email me at angela.heidelberger@lastingimprint.org if you are interested in getting one for yourself!

In other news, we received word from a local foundation that we have been awarded a $3,000 grant to help with the cost of our CHD Family Kits! Awesome job to our grant writer Carrie Meyer and many thanks to the HickoryTech Foundation!

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2012

Is it really the middle of February already? This year is flying by and boy, are things off to a great start for Lasting Imprint!

A quick update for our readers:

*We have two new board members! Dr. Tawnda Andrews is a chiropractor with a special interest in pregnancy care and will be a huge asset in building and strengthening the support of Lasting Imprint here in Mankato. Jill Beithon is manager of ultrasound services and will be an incredible resource in our efforts to make a difference with early detection. We are excited to welcome you to Lasting Imprint and are grateful for your willingness to contribute to our cause!

*We have added another regional coordinator! Amy Smith, heart mom and now staff volunteer, will be serving families in the Sioux Falls area. We are excited to have her passion and drive be a part of the Lasting Imprint team!

*This year for CHD Awareness Week (Feb.7-14) we sponsored two events for our heart families. We had great turn outs at both and a lot of fun as well! Below is a picture from our Mankato event thanks to ID Photography. (Can you believe we received over 25 proclamations this year from cities and states declaring CHD Awareness Week? Amazing!)


I look forward to posting more often as we draw closer to our big events, see advances in pulse ox screening and early detection, and anything else that comes up along the way. We may even have a guest blogger starting come March so stay tuned for that!

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