Small World

A lot of people know that I love the book "My Heart Vs. The Real World: Children with Heart Disease, In Photographs & Interviews" by Max S. Gerber. I posted a book review on Amazon.com, and on my Facebook page. I love this book, I want everyone to read this book. There's even a link to the website on the right side of this blog under Heart Links.

The book highlights the lives of 10 children coping with a CHD (Congenital Heart Defect), their lives, experiences, angst, woes, inspirations, hopes, fears, etc.. It's written from the viewpoint of the children or sometimes the parents. I was moved to tears several times in this book, because these kids are so courageous and wise beyond their years. The author himself is also a subject in the book since he also has a CHD. He has Bradycardia (abnormally slow heart rate), and lives with a pacemaker.

Recently, I found out that my co-worker's younger sister also has a pacemaker (like the author of this book). Her CHD was found later in life, when she was 13. I was invited to my co-worker's bridal shower last weekend, where I met her CHD sister.

I introduced myself to the sister and she asked me "You're the one with the daughter with CHD, right?", and I said "Yes". Then making small talk, I asked her: "You have a pacemaker, right? Because I don't see your scar?" She was wearing a scoop neck shirt which would have normally revealed an open-heart surgery (OHS) scar. She said a pacemaker scar is different from an OHS scar, which she showed me. She said she'd never had OHS.

Her mom was standing near us, so she said "Mom, her daughter has the same thing Dylan has..". Which of course peaked my curiosity... so I said "You know someone who has the same heart defect as my daughter?", and she says "Yeah, my friend Dylan"....

Remembering that there is a boy in the book named Dylan, I ask her "Was he in a book?", and my co-worker's sister says "Yes!", and I said "My Heart Vs. The Real World?", and she said "Oh my gosh, you know that book?", and I said "It's one of my favorite books..."

Then we just started chatting and chatting. Me, her, her mom.. It turns out Dylan does not have what Scarlett has, but it is still totally cool that she is friends with several of the kids in the book that she met at Camp Del Corazon in Los Angeles. Talk about Six Degrees of Separation. . . What a small world.

If you would like to buy the book (which I highly recommend), you can find it on Amazon HERE.