"Forty percent of babies are born with a form of pulmonary stenosis (littlehearts.org)." I can not imagine me as a parent having to worry about my child having a congenital anomaly. I feel sorry for any parent and child that has to deal with the same heart defect that I have. At first I thought I was weird (I am) and different from everyone else. As I got older, my point of view changed and I realized that being different is kind of cool. Having a birth defect helped to shape me into who I am today. Although I was born with a heart condition, I overcame the many odds associated with it and survived. Because of it, I will always strive to be my best.
Entering the world in an unusual way (I was a home birth), I was born with a defect called pulmonary stenosis, and no it has nothing to do with me being born at home. Pulmonary stenosis is the narrowing of the pulmonary valve. “It makes the heart unable for the right ventricle to evacuate blood by way of the pulmonary artery with ease and may lead to right ventricular hypertrophy (American Heart Association).” This was discovered when I was four months old. My doctor noticed I had an irregular heartbeat and murmur at my checkup. I was referred to a heart specialist and he diagnosed me with a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). This is when there is a hole between the heart’s ventricles. “On the right side, a large amount of oxygen-rich red blood from the heart’s left side is forced through the defect.  Soon it is pumped back to the lungs. This makes the heart overworked and it may enlarge (American Heart Association).” Also, this was when my pulmonary stenosis was discovered. I can not imagine what my parents must have gone through with having a baby that had a heart defect. Although my condition was serious, my parents never let me feel that I was different. They always kept a close eye on me and tried their best to let me feel just like all the other kids.
Fortunately my VSD closed up by the time I was two years old, but the pulmonary stenosis would always be a condition that I must live with. Although I felt normal most of the time, my defect really impacted me in elementary school. During recess and in gym I sometimes would develop heart pains. While I was in second grade, my heart pains got to the point where I had to wear a heart monitor day and night for a whole month. This was a way to track my heart rhythm whenever I developed any pain. Although I knew that I had to wear the monitor to help figure out what was going on with my heart, I was embarrassed to have my classmates and friends think I was different and weird.  Fortunately they were just curious and wanted to know why I had to wear the monitor, everyone treated me the same. This made me realize that being different is okay.
As a kid my heart defect sometimes affected me from not running around and playing with my friends, as I would not be able to keep up with them. Now my heart pains normally just occur when I exercise strenuously. Sometimes the pains are short and not too strong, but other times they are powerful and painful. It is like a snowball rolling down a hill. The snowball gets progressively bigger. That goes for my heart too. At first the pain is little, like a cramp in my heart. When this happens, I know I should probably slow down or stop. For example in gym we have to run a mile (four laps around the track). I passed the third lap and kept running at a steady pace. I felt a little sharp cramp in my heart area. I knew that should have stopped, but I wanted to complete the mile. When I got to the last stretch of the last lap I sprinted as fast as I could. The pains have never hurt this bad before. When I reached the end, I stopped and I felt like I couldn't get any air through my body. I started wheezing trying to catch my breath. It was very painful and it even made me cry. I was so zoned out that I didn't realize that my friends were trying to help me. When the pain started to get less intense, I started to calm down. These heart pains make me feel weak and that I am not athletic. But they aren't my fault. I can’t get rid of my pulmonary stenosis, but I can help prevent them from happening.
The many odds that come with my heart defects, I may not have overcome them physically but I have mentally. I know that I can not change my condition, so why complain about it? I know what my limitations are and what I can and shouldn’t do. My VSD and pulmonary stenosis don’t stop me from striving to be my best. If anything, they have helped me...to be me. We all have our own problems and they all makes us unique. I tell myself that I am different, I like different. Plus it makes an entertaining story to tell.  I have overcame the odds and realize that no one is perfect.