More than forty thousand babies are born every year in the United States with the most common birth defect – congenital heart disease (CHD). The number of babies born annually worldwide with CHD approaches one million. While medical interventions for CHD have radically improved, less attention has been paid to the emotional impact on patients and their families. This book is written for adults with CHD, parents of CHD children, spouses, grandparents and siblings. Richard Schwindt M.S.W., R.S.W., is a working therapist with CHD, an illness he shares with his grandson. Richard offers practical help for managing the most common challenges: anxiety, depression, body image, navigating the medical system, self-care and relationships. He addresses difficult subjects, including sexuality and grief, with compassion, humour and wisdom. This is a primer for living life with joy and achievement, no matter what challenges congenital heart disease throws your way.

More than forty thousand babies are born every year in the United States with the most common birth defect – congenital heart disease (CHD). The number of babies born annually worldwide with CHD approaches one million. While medical interventions for CHD have radically improved, less attention has been paid to the emotional impact on patients and their families. This book is written for adults with CHD, parents of CHD children, spouses, grandparents and siblings. Richard Schwindt M.S.W., R.S.W., is a working therapist with CHD, an illness he shares with his grandson. Richard offers practical help for managing the most common challenges: anxiety, depression, body image, navigating the medical system, self-care and relationships. He addresses difficult subjects, including sexuality and grief, with compassion, humour and wisdom. This is a primer for living life with joy and achievement, no matter what challenges congenital heart disease throws your way.