Meet Sebastian: A Kid with Heart
GUEST BLOG – SickKids kid SebastianI am a thriving 13-year-old athlete with a special heart. I have a scar on my chest that I sport proudly and commonly refer to as my badge of courage.
April 23, 2002 is the day I was born and diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot. SickKids became my home away from home. I was introduced to Dr. Reddington and Dr. Van Arsdell whom I now view as my heroes. Three months later, my life changed for the better, as I underwent open heart surgery.
The surgery was a success and I was no longer a ‘blue baby’. I’m so grateful for SickKids for giving me the opportunity to live a full and rich life. I look forward to my visits to SickKids and can’t help but smile every time I enter the hospital. After all, it is where miracles happen every day.
Being a heart patient at SickKids certainly has its privileges. Camp Oki is just one example. It’s a camp for kids with special hearts. I’ve been honoured to go to Camp Oki for the past five years and really enjoy re-connecting with Dr. Kirsh, the SickKids staff, and of course all my ‘heart friends’.
"I’m so grateful to SickKids but gratitude didn’t seem enough. I wanted to pay it forward."
Each day is a blessing and when I look down at my chest I’m reminded of how lucky I am. Although I have a special heart, I’m not limited in what I can do and accomplish. My parents tell me I’m their hero which makes me feel awesome. My advice to kids with special hearts is to live life each day to the fullest and believe your courage and bravery will help you conquer any challenge you may face. Parents, take comfort in knowing you are in excellent hands at the best paediatric hospital in the world. Empower your child to believe they can achieve anything because only special kids have special hearts.
Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) accounts for 7-10% of all congenital heart defects. Currently Dr. Van Arsdell is part of a team spearheading a research study called Tetralogy of Fallot for Life (TOF LIFE). This study aims to enroll over 3,000 TOF patients from children's heart surgery centers world-wide. TOF patients will be invited to participate prior to undergoing any heart procedures and will be followed for two years after the repair operation to monitor their hearts. The results collected will provide evidence to answer key questions surrounding the repair procedures used for TOF and help surgeons improve TOF treatment around the world. For more information on this study, please visit: http://www.tof-life.com/. To support Dr. Van Arsdell and his team with this study, please donate at www.sickkidsfoundation.com/page/cvsresearch.
