1 year on...

Time flies and it seems I just blinked my eyes while a year has passed by..
And what a year it was...there is never a dull moment in our household that is for sure .
I am proud to say that we have a new addition to our family, a lovely little girl called Amani. Dounya is now a big sister too and she takes her role very seriously ...in charge of dummies and lost cuddly bears! Dounya continues to be in very good health and is a joy to have around ..if anyone can turn a smile on your face she can! Heart wise there are no worries at the moment ( and i hope it will stay like that!) and she has now once a year her cardiac check up..the next one will be somewhere in December.
I will continue to update now and then on her here ( and not take a year like I have done now due to being far too busy) but will start another blog about the adventures of me and the whole household.
This was and will stay Dounya's blog, her journey with CHD. She will read it one day and maybe when she is a teenager continue herself...who knows? So I will not delete it and keep on writing about the things that are important steps in her life. Like turning 2 next week....time does fly!

HAPPY
1ST
BIRTHDAY DOUNYA!!!!!!!!!!!

WE ARE ALL SO PROUD OF YOU...

Great cardiac appointment !!

Last Tuesday 30 June Dounya had her cardiac appointment in the Clark clinic and it went really well. Miss Curiosity was brilliant,lying very still but watching every singls move made..
They are very pleased with her: the leakage hasn't increased and her weight gaining and growth is very well! Next appointment in 6 months time woohoo!!
So the ferries are booked and coming Monday we will be off to Morocco, so my in laws can finally meet our amazing little lady!
We go by car as we usually do, so the holiday starts as soon as we leave already LOL

CHD-NI is growing..we have now a Constitution, 6 committee members in total and 3 fundraising events coming up...so busy enough with all that but I go with a light heart because I know CHD-NI will be well looked after!!
So if you don't hear from me coming month you know where we are!!

Well the interview with UTV has been cancelled now twice and just got news that they will have an interview with one of the cardiologist early July and then will come to me....BUT WE WILL BE OFF ON HOLIDAY THEN ....hopefully we can set a date after I return!
Dounya has her cardiac app. on the 30th of June so fingers crossed all is well. She is doing great still and can sit up now eat along with us mostly and is a very happy and curious baby. So my feeling is that I don't need to worry, but somehow I always do.

CHD-NI is growing and I get more and more help with things which is great! There are fundraising events coming up in Portadown and Belfast to raise money for the Clark clinic. You can read all about that on the CHD-NI website and on the Clark clinic group on Facebook

Heart2Hearts

Been busy with the CHD-NI site and have replaced the original forum with Heart2Hearts a social network where everyone affected by CHD can join and share their experiences, put photos, videos, blogs etc.

http://www.heart2hearts.ning.com

On the part of raising awareness there is positive news. Will have an interview with UTV next week about it and they will use it to get the attention for CHD awareness week 9-17 May.
Really happy with that although I am not so sure about being on TV...hope I will not start to stutter and can get the message across properly.

join hands..

Sandra Kay from Matters of the Heart and Angelina's friends:
''Just some food for thought.... it took over a year to have 16500 people who signed my petition. Everywhere I turn I hear," We need more Awareness out". I do think there are so many many more people who are affected by CHD in some ways than that right ? I need them to care and have 2 minutes of their time to sign and spread the word. Otherwise I can't step in front of the Media and show them how much Awareness is needed. I can't step in front of them with "only" a bit over 16.000 signatures and tell them this public awareness is so needed. I had a reporter of a newspaper say these words to me : If a petition that urges to save polaroid film raises more signatures in a month than you do in six, how can this cause be so important?Need I say more ? Friends we need to join hands in order to make this happen. None of us can do this alone. We need to act as one community to make this happen.Thank you''


SO PLEASE SIGN AND PASS IT ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!!
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/media-awareness-for-chd.html

CHD awareness