The Hope and Courage Podcast for CHD Parents
Hi, we're Tom and Kat Hansen! In 2014 our son Harding was diagnosed with Congenital Heart Disease, and since then we've experienced the ups and downs that come along with being a CHD parent. In this podcast we share some of the lessons we've learned along the way, and the things we wish we knew at the start of our CHD journey. We also talk to CHD experts to get their stories of hope, encouraging insights, and valuable resources to give parents like us the right help at the right time. You can find us at www.tomandkathansen.com and @tomandkathansen on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter!
Episodes
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 li...
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 narrat...
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 famili...
*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 ...
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 immed...
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 hea...
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 ...
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 help...
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 Bri...
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 fr...
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 bette...
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 le...
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 congenit...
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 Warrio...
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 n...
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 vita...
*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...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com