In memory of Naudya Jo

March 31st is “Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day”

This article was written by my dear friend Tanya:

This Birth Defect occurs in 1 in 2,000 births yet is not widely known. With the rate of live births in the United States at 4,115,590 in 2004, this translates to approximately 1,800 live births with the congenital diaphragmatic hernia birth defect. Cystic Fibrosis occurs in 1 in 3,000 live births in the United States, and spina bifida has an occurrence of 7 in 10,000 or 1 in 1,478 live births. Congenital diaphragmatic hernias occur just as often as cystic fibrosis and spina bifida, except congenital diaphragmatic hernias often have fatal results.The reality of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia struck home this past year when Clint and Tanya Gottschalk lost their daughter—They wrote this about their struggle. . . “Look into a new born babies eyes and you can feel hope. Hope for a life filled with love and joy. We too saw hope in our daughter Naudya Jo's eyes when she was born in May 1, 2007. She was diagnosed with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) several months prior to her birth, but no amount of preparation could prepare us for the heartache CDH caused our family. Naudya Jo was put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) at 24 hours old to give her overworked heart and lungs a chance to relax. Nine days later, she had excessive bleeding when being removed from the machine. Emergency surgery was performed and she temporarily stabilized. Before receiving the life saving surgery to repair her diaphragm, she developed pulmonary hypertension. On May 16, 2007 our daughter passed away peacefully in our arms.” Due to the lack of awareness many municipalities, including Kansas and 28 other states, 13 cities, and Mexico have proclaimed March 31st Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness day, with new states and cities being added each day.Why is awareness necessary? The more people that know about CDH and our precious babies, the better chances there will be for improved treatment, stronger support and more research. Breath of Hope, Inc. is leading a nationwide effort to educate the public and help save babies born with CDH. Breath of Hope offers expectant parents information about making the best medical choices for their baby with CDH. They also offer support to parents of survivors and non-survivors. You can show your support by wearing a turquoise ribbon, sharing this article with a friend, passing along information on CDH via e-mail or sending donations to Breath of Hope, Inc., PO Box 6627, Charlottesville, VA 22906. You may also go to www.breathofhopeinc.com for more information on this non-profit organization; or you can contact cdhawareness@breathofhopeinc.com and find out what you can do to help spread awareness for the congenital diaphragmatic hernia birth defect. Help give all babies a chance. Every breath they take, is our breath of hope.