In the end, the PICU ward would become our home for nearly 2 months. Every day and many nights I spent crouched over my precious baby, singing to her, massaging her with rosemary oil, stroking her hair, praying over her. And for when I wasn’t there, I taped our sessions and played them on a loop, with the idea that she would never be aware of my absence or feel alone.
That experience encapsulates the absolute worst moments in my life . . . but also the best. I have never felt more terrified and powerless. But by feeling those emotions, I changed. I learned more patience, perseverance, and empathy. Overcome with gratitude and raw from the intense emotional rollercoaster ride of Ari’s diagnosis and woke to the prevalence and significance of a CHD diagnosis, we determined to turn the experience into something more.
From those feelings, OpHeart was born.
Ch. 1: The First 6 Weeks
Ch. 2: To the ER
Ch. 3: The Transfer
Ch. 4: The Diagnosis
Ch. 5: The Rashkind Procedure
Ch. 6: 8 Weeks in PICU
Ch. 7: Ari’s Arterial Switch
Ch. 8: The End . . . and the Beginning (this page)