Bryler’s hugs & heart anniversary

Bryler’s Hugs and Heart Anniversary Because I was hugged and held & every child and family deserves the same. A hug from the heart!! Only a few short months(3.5) after Bryler was born, our whole world stopped. Following healthy, baby and Healthy birth unbeknownst to us, a routine check would change our lives significantly. We were very unexpectedly transferred to the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Cardiology; heart murmur found, admitted and delivered a diagnosis that no parent or person could or should have to ever prepare for. The diagnosis was of the condition; Cardiac Heart Disease(CHD) which affects the heart and presented other challenges in/for the body. In this case resulting in a Ventricular Septal Defect(VSD) of her heart. (Often referred to as a hole in the heart) After what felt like constant appointments, scans & monitoring the VSD and the effects it held on Bryler and her body, her team it was time to repair the damage of her heart. Nearly 6 years since she was diagnosed and not a day passed that eased the emotions surrounding an operation of that magnitude, especially being on a child, our child. March 31, 2025 was the day that our extraordinarily brave little girl underwent an open heart operation. For a second time, the world had stopped. At just 5 years old she was facing something bigger than most will ever know. Today, through the hardest season of our lives, Bryler is absolutely thriving, joyful and an outrageously smiley girl, coming up on one full year post operation and completely recovered. What once felt like standing at the edge of a storm has become a story of strength, faith, extraordinary care, and the power of hugs. During the most overwhelming days of our lives, the support from her outstanding medical team, hospital staff, and the Ronald McDonald House helped our family to also feel held. As young parents navigating something no parent ever imagines, we leaned on the kindness shown not only to our daughter, but to us; her sisters, gramma, and uncle(aunt) as well. And then there were the Care Bears. Those soft, colourful, snuggly little bears became more than stuffies. They were some comfort during long nights. Courage before and after procedures. Something steady to squeeze when words were too big. The best hugs, from the heart