Today kicks off Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) Awareness Week. Congenital
heart defects are America’s number one birth defect. One out of 100 babies in
the United States are born with a CHD. That’s 40,000 CHD babies every year in
this country and over 1,000,000 world-wide. CHD is the number one cause of all
birth defect related deaths. More than 50% of those born with a CHD will
require at least one invasive surgery in their lifetime. 20% of them will not
survive their first year of life. *
But the good news is that in the last decade death rates for congenital
heart defects have declined by almost 30% due to medical advances made through
research.* So, more CHD kids have a chance to grow to adulthood and
live normal or near-normal lives. And that is good news for people like me who
hope and pray for these medical advances and the doctors and surgeons who will
use them to give our CHD kids a fighting chance.
As a romance author, I believe it is my mission to bring
happily-ever-after to every situation, but for children and adults who live
with the uncertain future of a congenital heart defect, I wanted to write a
romance with a real-life happy ending for all of them. Captivating the CEO is dedicated to “everyone who lives with a
congenital heart defect, and those who care for and love them.”
*CHD statistics from http://www.childrensheartfoundation.org/about-chf/fact-sheets
He only plans for the future. She
might not have a future.
When live-for-the-moment massage therapist Willow Jeffries bursts into
Colin Vanderhayden's office, she makes it her mission to loosen up the
future-focused CEO, knowing each moment of the present is too precious to
waste. Despite her immediate attraction, the only future she can offer is one
full of heartache.
The last thing Colin needs is a flighty woman messing up his
carefully-constructed plans, but her heavenly massages and addictive
personality prove hard to resist. But he has no idea how sick she is.
No longer able to ignore her life-threatening medical condition, Willow
slips away to spare Colin a miserable future with her. Is Colin willing to
sacrifice his well-laid future plans to get Willow back?
Thank you for all the information, Sara. I didn't know there was time dedicated to inform people.
ReplyDeleteI know February is heart month, but like Sloane, didn't realize there is a dedicated week. Love how you made a difference by spreading awareness of CHD. Salute and wishing you success with ALL your publishing endeavors!
ReplyDeleteLike Sharon, I didn't know there was a week for this. So already, you're spreading awareness. Thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful book and a great way to raise awareness! Love you, Sara!
ReplyDelete