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[thepracticalheartmom2]

[thepracticalheartmom2]

“I won’t quit on you when things get tough, difficult times make us stronger.”

—

s.s. (stephenstilwell)

[thepracticalheartmom2]

Gene of Hearts

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are one of the most common birth defects and some, such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), can be fatal if left untreated. The genetics behind HLHS isn’t well understood, so researchers analysed the genomes of three families with the disease. Ten possible genes were implicated in HLHS. Suppressing each gene in healthy human heart cells grown from stem cells as well as fruit fly and zebrafish hearts, revealed one gene as a front-runner – LRP2. Without normal levels of LRP2 protein, heart cells failed to mature properly and zebrafish hearts were smaller and abnormally shaped (pictured, right) compared to normal hearts (left), as revealed by fluorescence microscopy. What’s more, potentially damaging mutations in the LRP2 gene were then identified in heart cells grown from the stem cells of HLHS patients. This highlights how useful this approach can be in deciphering the genetics of CHDs.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Image from work by Jeanne L Theis, Georg Vogler and Maria A Missinato, and colleagues

Cardiovascular Genetics Research Laboratory, Rochester, NY, and Development, Aging and Regeneration, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in eLife, October 2020

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[thepracticalheartmom2]

If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can't hear them anymore.

Michele Ruiz

[thepracticalheartmom2]

Today my whole office wore red for CHD. I’m so thankful to work in a place that cares about me and my family.

[thepracticalheartmom2]

Sometimes you just need a break, let them play their favorite game, eat something sugary (if they’re allowed), watch t.v. for an extra 30 minutes. It’s okay not to be in caregiver mode all the time. 

[thepracticalheartmom2]

Be proud of how you've been handling these months. The silent battles you fought, the moments you had to humble yourself, wiped your own tears and pat yourself on the back. Celebrate your strength.

Unknown

[thepracticalheartmom2]

“What is a friend? We probably all have our own definitions. For me, it’s someone I don’t feel alone with. Who doesn’t bore me. Whose life I connect with and who takes reciprocal interest in my life. It’s someone I feel comfortable turning to when I need to be talked off the ledge, and for whom I am glad to return the favor. Just a few people in my life fit that bill.”

— Sophia Dembling, The Introvert’s Way: Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World

[thepracticalheartmom2]

The separate compartment makes it easy to keep syringes, extensions and even an extra tube in your diaper bag for on-the-go g-tube needs! 

[thepracticalheartmom2]

I will breathe. I will think of solutions. I will not let my worry control me. I will not let my stress level break me. I will simply breathe. And it will be okay. Because I don't quit.

Shayne McClendon

[thepracticalheartmom2]

Tell the story of the mountain you climbed. Your words could be a page in someone else’s survival guide.

Morgan Harper Nichols (via esandersauthor)

[thepracticalheartmom2]

Keeping a quick reference with your child’s pertinent medical information can help with the feelings of overwhelm during a medical crisis. Keep one in your car with diagnosis, hospitalizations, surgeries, allergies, medications, its almost like a medical resume!