IN MEMORY OF AMY – PLEASE ASSIST
In our physical bodies our hearts are the physical
engine that pushes life-giving blood to every cell of our body. When our hearts
are broken (i.e. when they do not function the way they should) there are
various consequences.
In many cases CHD affects
physical and mental development (depending on the severity of the condition)
and in other cases it may even lead to disability. Parents of children with CHD
need to take special care of their children’s nutrition and find a fine balance
between not placing their heart under pressure with physical activity and them
not getting enough exercise.
For children with CHD a
simple cold or an infection could impact the rest of their lives negatively.
Should a virus reach their heart muscle or should an infection like the flu put
too much strain on their hearts, their heart muscles can be weakened, which
could change the whole course of their lives. We saw this with Amy
Miller . Amy Miller, a viral infection lead to
her needing a heart transplant at the age of 5, instead of much later in her
life, this tragic turn of events decreased Amy’s chances of receiving a heart
and in the end Amy died waiting for a heart transplant.
WHILE WE CANNOT DO MUCH ABOUT CHILDREN BEING BORN
WITH HEART DEFECTS, WE CAN SAVE LIVES BY:
- Identifying possible
heart defects in Utero, and thus making sure
specialised medical professionals deliver the baby and care for them after
their birth. (This process bought Amy 5 more years with her family. When
first diagnosed, doctors gave Amy only a couple of months to live. But the
proper treatment by Dr Susan Vosloo and her team gave Amy 5 beautiful
years with her family)
- Identifying
newborns with possible heart defects as
soon as possible and getting them to the correct treatment facility. In
early December baby Herman died because he did not receive treatment at an
appropriate treatment centre for his CHD.
- Identifying
older children with overlooked heart defects.
Often heart defects are not picked up until children start to actively
participate in sports. By that stage of a child’s life an untreated heart
defect can be a ticking time bomb in their chest.
- Streamlining
the organ donation process. By streamlining the
registration, but more importantly the referral process, we can make sure
that more children and adults living with CHD can have access to heart
transplants or heart and lung transplants when they need it.
YOU CAN HELP US THIS YEAR BY TAKING PART IN CHD
WEEK BY:
- Buying a ribbon.
- Wrapping a tree that is visible to the public.
- Buying a #ANewHeartForAmy Bracelet.
- Hosting a CHD Awareness Event.
- Getting Involved in a CHD Awareness event.
If you want to get involved. Please email bev@heartkids.co.za.
IN MEMORY OF AMY MILLER #ANEWHEARTFORAMY
On 17 November 2015, Amy
Miller went to be with the Lord. She fought bravely, she fought with all
she had and she did not lose this battle, she
took it to a whole new level! As she stepped into the presence of
Jesus her heart was healed, she can now jump and swing and sing and dance… and
she has a new vigour and energy with which she will cheer us on as we continue
to fight to increase the organ transplant rate in South Africa.
Amy lived 5 years longer
than what she was given by the doctors while Natasha was pregnant with her. Amy
had spunk, Amy
ROARED, Amy is still larger than life. Amy
has not stopped existing, it’s simply her passport to Heaven that got stamped. Amy emigrated a whole lot sooner than what we were
prepared for, and in the moments that we will miss her voice, we will go and
sit next to heaven’s door to catch a glimpse of her giggle as she dances to her
heart’s content.
"Deepest condolences to her amazing family. They
cared for Amy without growing weary, without complaining, without losing hope.
We lift up her family and we trust that the Lord will comfort them like no man
can, that the presence of Holy Spirit will be tangible around them as they
grieve."
Thank you to each person who prayed for Amy, each person who joined her cause,
each person who shared her posts and donated funds. In honour of Amy, this campaign will not stop
until we have improved the transplant rate in this beautiful country of ours. We will not stop fighting. We will push until the level of health care
received by our CHD
Warriors is elevated to a
satisfactory level.
Amy was an organ donor and
her parents honoured her wish to have a heart big enough to give. If Amy could understand the value of giving
life, then surely you can too. We would like for you to honor Amy by registering yourself AND your children as
organ donors.
Information courtesy of Heart Kids
