Every Minute Counts
When my husband and I were first given sweet pea’s rare and
complex congenital heart defect diagnosis we asked a lot of questions regarding
her “quality of life.” At the time, quality of life was another way of asking
how “normal” sweet pea would be in order to take advantage of all that life had
to offer. Would she have a lot of hospitalizations? Would she be able to
participate in physical activities such as hiking, running, swimming and most
importantly golfing? Would living with half a heart affect her ability to make
friends and keep friends? With time, my definition of “quality of life” changed
from sweet pea behaving “normal” to sweet pea’s state of mind. A good quality
of life means that sweet pea experiences joy, love, and contentment no matter
what her physical, social, emotional and mental capabilities are.
