Leslie B. Smoot, MD, Staff Cardiologist at Children's Hospital Boston responded to the following question:

Do you have specific recommendations for parents living with a child with a heart problem?

• The families I am continually inspired by are those families who manage to stay centered in their connection to their child, and in finding ways to appreciate tiny pleasures even in a sea of seeming despair.

• Many children are more disabled by their impression of their illness (or their parents impression/attitude about their illness) than they are by any physical limitations.

• Take time to care for yourself, your partner, and your "normal" children-a.k.a. "put your oxygen mask on first, before assisting your child".

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