In this episode we talk to the incredibly inspiring CHD adult and author of From the Sidelines to the Finish Line: A Chronic Illness Survivor’s Challenges and Everyday Triumphs Emily Falcon! She has an amazing story of overcoming struggle and achieving what she never dreamed she could. We discuss her Benjamin Button-like life story and how she learned to make the most of every opportunity she was given. She truly displays how to live life to the full while having a CHD diagnosis. We were so inspired by Emily and we know you will be too! CLICK HERE to get copy of Emily's book From the Sidelines to the Finish Line: A Chronic Illness Survivor’s Challenges and Everyday Triumphs Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available ⁠HERE⁠ on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out ⁠www.tomandkathansen.com⁠. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at ⁠hello@tomandkathansen.com⁠ Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we talk to CHD adult and creator of The Heart Dialogues Leigh Kamping-Carder! She is a journalist located in New York with a master's in journalism from NYU and runs the newsletters team at a big media outlet. You will hear her thought-provoking perspective on the part CHD plays in a person's identity, and how the presence of it affects all parts of their life. We discuss the importance of various CHD narratives being shared with the CHD community, exploring the nuances of their stories and appreciating their perspectives. We loved gaining her insight on all of this and more, and we know you will too! CLICK HERE to read The Heart Dialogues! Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we talk to CHD parent Grace Harvey! She & her husband live in Michigan where they both work full-time jobs as they try to navigate their family's CHD journey. Grace shares her story about how they make their heart warrior's health, family, careers, relationships, and mental health all priorities along the way. She has some great insights on authenticity and empathy in her work life as well. So CHD families who have two full time working parents, listen up, because you will gain a lot from this episode! Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

*TRIGGER WARNING* This episode contains discussion about child loss.  In this episode we talk to CHD parents and James Doss Memorial Foundation owners Carlee & Randy Doss! Five years ago they lost their son James to congenital heart disease and today they talk to us about their grieving process since it happened. We discuss how communication was key to sustaining their marriage during that difficult time, and how community and remembering have been helping them ever since. They have lots of great advice for parents grieving the loss of their child and we learned so much from them sharing their experience with us. The James Doss Memorial Foundation Golf Outing & Banquet is on July 15th, 2023 so make sure you go to their website listed below to sign up or contribute to their incredibly important cause! Carlee & Randy's Foundation: James Doss Memorial Foundation Carlee & Randy's Website: jamesdossmemorialfoundation.org Carlee & Randy's Social Media Handle: @golfjdmf Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we talk to heart dad and author of the books Steal the Reaper & Hunt the Reaper Todd Hosea! Todd has been a heart dad since 1999 and has so much wisdom to share on taking care of your relationships, letting go of normalcy, and pursuing your dreams on the CHD journey. He also encourages CHD parents that they are capable of so much more than they can imagine. Todd is so inspiring so go listen to this episode immediately! Todd's Books on Amazon: Steal the Reaper & Hunt the Reaper Todd's Website: toddhosea.com Todd's Social Media Handle: @toddhoseaauthor Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we talk to heart warrior & psychotherapist Tracy Livecchi, LCSW ! Tracy shares about her new book Healing Hearts and Minds: A Holistic Approach to Coping Will with Congenital Heart Disease that she co-authored with Dr. Liza Morton. The focus of their book is mental health challenges in the CHD community and it gives tangible solutions for each of those challenges that may arise on the CHD journey. You'll heart a bit about Tracy's CHD story and how she & Liza wrote this book together without having ever met in person. She has such a unique perspective as a heart warrior and mental health profession and you won't want to miss a word of her valuable advice! Tracy & Liza's Book on Amazon: Healing Hearts and Minds: A Holistic Approach to Coping Well with Congenital Heart Disease Tracy's Website: tracylivecchi.com Tracy's Social Media Handle: @tracylivecchi Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we talk to heart mom & The Love for Littles shop owner Josie Hau! Josie shares the incredible story of her heart warrior Maya, who also has Down Syndrome, and how Josie coped with the difficulties by searching for certainty and magic on her family's CHD journey. She also discusses how her family made the decision to have more children after Maya and what helped her in the decision making process. You'll hear all about her shop The Love for Littles and the support bracelets she makes to help ease the burden of families who are struggling. You won't want to miss a minute of this episode, so go listen now! Josie's Website: theloveforlittles.com Josie's Social Media Handle: @theloveforlittles Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we talk to heart warrior Faith Brackett! This incredible young woman has accomplished so much in her life thus far, from winning Ultimate International Miss Maine to starting her own foundation called CHD Tablet Talk to help keep children with CHD connected and engaged while experiencing lengthy hospital stays. We introduce you to her family's motto "Do it but do it differently" and how that's helped her with problem solving ways to normalize her life experiences. You will be so impressed and encouraged by Faith's hopeful story! Faith's Website: www.faithbrackett.com Faith's Social Media Handle: @faithbrackett_ Faith's Book: Nellie and Ellie's Hospital Adventures - A Heart Like Mine Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we chat with Heart Mom & Pediatric Cardiology Echo Tech Brittany Freese. We discuss her unique position as a heart parent & a medical profession in the cardiology world, and what kind of perspective that gives her on her family's CHD journey. She encourages us & other CHD parents to enjoy the moment we're in with our heart warriors and to not let the past or future hinder it. You'll love hearing from Brittany as much as we did! Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we chat with Heart Warrior Letitia Aloysius! She is 21 years old and is wise beyond her years. You will learn so much from her about how to talk to young heart warriors about their CHD, and how to make sure they know that they are MORE than their CHD. We loved learning about what her day to day looks like as a young adult heart warrior & more about who she is!  Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com.  Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter  Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we chat with heart warrior, author, & publisher Amy M. Le. Amy is a Vietnam War survivor and has an incredible story to share about her mother Snow and the great distance she went to get Amy the care she needed for her heart. Snow is an inspiring example of what lengths a CHD parent will go to to fight for the life of their heart warrior, and how to plug into community to get help. Amy gives hope to all CHD parents by showing them that their heart warriors can grow up to live out their dreams and become inspiring CHD advocates! You can find Amy's publishing website and books at quillhawkpublishing.com!  Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we had the honor of talking to Tom Dahlborg, and expert & leader in the world of healthcare. He is the President and CEO of the Dahlborg HealthCARING Leadership Group with 40 years of experience in positioning leaders (in healthcare and beyond) to engage heart and mind in all they do, to embrace and embody compassion, care and love, while leveraging science and evidence, to honor their callings and achieve betterment for all. We chat a lot about how the working relationship between healthcare providers and CHD patient families. He had so many great insights and advice on this topic and you wont want to miss a minute of it! You can find Tom's business and resources at dahlborghlg.com. His book From Heart To Head & Back Again: ... a Journey Through the Healthcare System is available HERE on Amazon! Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we have a great conversation with CHD Parent & author Debi Lewis. Her book is called Kitchen Medicine: How I Fed My Daughter out of Failure to Thrive. You can buy it HERE! In our chat with Debi you will hear about her heart warrior Sammy, and Debi's challenge to feed her in the midst of her CHD diagnosis. It took seven years of advocating and problem solving to figure out the exact help Sammy needed, and Debi learned so much about food along the way. She is a well of knowledge on advocating for your child in the hospital and much more! You can find her @growthesunshine on Twitter and Instagram, and at her website debilewis.com. Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we have a great conversation with CHD Parent Susan May. She is an amazing CHD advocate and the author of several books. The book about her & her family's experience with her Heart Warrior Nick is entitled Nick's New Heart: 30 Years and Counting. You can buy it HERE! In our chat with Susan you will hear about her book, and also her incredible wisdom on how to live well in the midst of having a child with congenital heart disease and a heart transplant. Her son Nick is the 2nd longest living person with a pediatric heart transplant, and is now 33 with a college degree, full time job, wife & child! His story is an inspiration for any CHD Parent wondering what life will be like for their Heart Warrior in the future.  Our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease is available HERE on Amazon! To learn more about it, and all of our other CHD Parent resources, check out www.tomandkathansen.com. Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we talk to heart warrior Lisa Colvil, who has an inspiring story and is passionate about inspiring others in the CHD community! A fascinating aspect of this episode is our discussion on how Lisa's Vietnamese culture affected her experience growing up with CHD. She also shares about her role as a mom to her two kids and how CHD influences her parenting. She just released a new book entitled The Hope of a Heart Warrior, which is a devotional for anyone who is a part of the CHD community. CLICK HERE to get your copy on Amazon! You can also follow her blog HERE! Sign up to be notified when our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease releases at tomandkathansen.com!  Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter  Questions or comments? Reach out to us at hello@tomandkathansen.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

Meet CHD Parents Matt & Lauren Backe! You may have heard their names recently from their photo of Matt’s scar tattoo that went viral, but did you also know that they are incredible CHD advocates and that their children Jack and Everly(HW) wrote a book together?! In this episode we commiserate on raising CHD siblings and discuss their personality traits that they may have attained due to having a heart warrior sibling. We also cover how to make CHD feel normal to both your heart warrior and their siblings. You will fall in love with this family! Sign up to be notified when our book Hope and Courage: Six Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease releases at tomandkathansen.com Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Questions or comments? Reach out to us at tomandkathansen@gmail.com Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we talk about family's journey through Harding's Norwood open heart surgery. We cover everything from the sweet moments before surgery, controlling what we could during surgery, and the surprise turn Harding threw at us during recovery. It was not an easy road, but we learned so much from it, and we hope that you get some takeaways for your CHD journey from our story.  Download a FREE copy of our resource What to Bring to the Hospital After Your CHD Baby is Born to help you be better prepared for when your family goes through the Norwood open heart surgery on our website at www.tomandkathansen.com/chdparentresources.  Sign up to be notified when our book Hope and Courage: Real-Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease releases at tomandkathansen.com!    Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter!    Questions or comments? Reach out to us at tomandkathansen@gmail.com!  Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we had the pleasure of talking to CHD Parent Jenny Muscatell. Jenny is an author, CHD advocate, and co-founder of The Heart Community Collection. We learn about her adult heart warrior Faith, and what it was like for Jenny for her daughter to be on the forefront of receiving surgeries that are now common practice today. Jenny shares about her faith carrying her through the CHD Parent experience, and we discuss how normalizing your heart warrior's CHD experience helps them cope with their disease. We loved hearing from a CHD Parent who has so much experience and wisdom! You can learn more about Jenny at jennymuscatell.com! Her are The Journey of Faith and an Open Heart and Nellie and Ellie's Hospital Adventures : A Heart Like Mine.  Sign up to be notified when our book Hope and Courage: Real-Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease releases at tomandkathansen.com!   Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter!   Questions or comments? Reach out to us at tomandkathansen@gmail.com!  Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

In this episode we talk to CHD Parent & Film Writer/Producer Michael Katchman. We discuss his incredible new documentary entitled "Building the Field: Lifelong Care for CHD" and how important it is that children who have CHD and have received open heart surgeries don't get lost to care. Did you know that 90% of adults with CHD do not receive regular medical care for their CHD?! 90%! The medical field is now noticing what a vital need there is to ensure CHD patients receive lifelong care, both physically and emotionally. Michael's film follows the stories of 4 adults with CHD and their journey with lifelong care for their CHD. IT IS A MUST SEE EVERY CHD PARENT! You can see Michael's film on Youtube, or just click below on the title! Building the Field: Lifelong Care for Congenital Heart Disease Sign up to be notified when our book Hope and Courage: Real-Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease releases at tomandkathansen.com!   Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter!   Questions or comments? Reach out to us at tomandkathansen@gmail.com!  Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message

*TRIGGER WARNING* This episode contains discussion about child loss.  In this episode we have a beautiful conversation with our friends Kayla & Kevin Warnick about their heart warrior Jacob. If you, or someone you know, has suffered the loss of a child, there is much hope, wisdom, and encouragement to be gained from their story. We discuss their journey through diagnosis, birth, life, and loss, and how they saw glimpses of God's grace every step of the way. They share about their grief, how they didn't run away from it, and how they didn't let it steal their opportunities for joy. You get to see what their life is like now, 8 years after their loss, and all the ways Jacob's life and legacy still impacts their family of 5. Sign up to be notified when our book Hope and Courage: Real-Life Lessons from the Parents of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease releases at tomandkathansen.com!   Follow us @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter!   Questions or comments? Reach out to us at tomandkathansen@gmail.com!  Please rate, review, and subscribe to The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents anywhere you listen to podcasts!  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tom-and-kat-hansen/message