And Now For Something Completely Different! Part 2

I wrote part one of this post as a sort of introduction to congenital heart defects and the topic I wanted to bring up about CHD in the media. Like I stated in the previous entry, most people never hear of congenital heart defects, and when they do, it's when their child is diagnosed. However, due to the increased awareness efforts of "heart families," we are seeing it being exposed more. This is wonderful! Unfortunately, the fats presented are not always accurate. Case in point: the lovely Katherine Heigl.

Heigl and her husband Josh Kelley adopted a positively adorable baby girl from Korea in 2009, who they named Naleigh. She told Harper's Bazaar that "Her heart is 100 percent fine now. She has a scar, so she won't be wearing bikinis, which is fine by us." (read the interview here)

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Now, as a congenital heart defect survivor myself, I've got beefs with both of those sentences. First, Heigl's statement that Naleigh's heart is "100 percent fine" undoubtedly lead many readers to believe that Naleigh is "cured." This is NEVER the case with a congenital heart defect. There are over 40 types of heart defects, none of which have an identified and established cure. It's unfortunate, but true. However, cured or not, most people with a CHD do go on to lead normal, productive lives (read about that in the FAQs here). Her heart may be functioning at 100% now, but that does not mean there will never be any other issues or that she is cured. This may have been said out of a simple misunderstanding  or she may have just misspoken. My second problem is with Heigl's statement about Naleigh's scar. This one is particularly bothersome for me - I have THREE scars, and have no problem wearing a two-piece. That should be NALEIGH's decision, and no one else's! How vain can a mother be? We know Katherine Heigl is a beautiful, physically flawless actress who's entire career revolves around her appearance, but really? Is she going to keep Naleigh from wearing V-neck shirts and other articles of clothing which expose the upper chest? Has acting affected her definition of beauty that much? Those scars are something to be proud of, not hidden! We earned those "battle scars," and by George, we should be able to display them proudly if we so choose. 

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I find that by showing my scar(s), many opportunities to raise awareness about congenital heart defects arise, as people will ask about them. I understand that many people are not comfortable with doing that, and to each his/ her own. Maybe Naleigh would be an excellent CHD advocate, but by being taught from an early age that those scars should be hidden, she may think that her scar is something to be ashamed of. 

That's really what's wrong with society today. Everyone is too focused on physical appearance, and not on character. People with congenital heart defects usually learn early on that looks mean very little in the grand scheme of things. After all, I think most of us would agree that it's better to be alive than to worry about a scar. In fact, I think heart scars add character! They have awesome and inspiring stories, and pretty much always help you win in scar contests (the face on the boys' faces are priceless when a girl beats them!). So, I will leave you with the ideal that looks alone rarely take you far in life - it's what's inside that counts. And if that was too cliche for you, just ponder the picture below of some Camp Odayin kids who aren't too proud to show their scars. A picture really is worth a thousand words. 

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Be kind to yourself.

Sydney :)