My child Maria was diagnosed with ASD secundum at the of 5 months. It was a heartbreaking news for me at that time. I was told that she will need an open heart surgery at the age of 5 and in my country, there is not a doctor able to that, so have to go to our neighboring country?Bulgaria to do that (we live in Macedonia, an ex-Yugoslav Republic and are a very undeveloped country). I was so frightened and my world was falling a part. But i was lucky to be able to use the internet, so i have managed to find out a lot about ASD secundum, and CHIN helped me a lot with the information offered.

Now, 3 years after the "hole" in my kid's heart was found, I know that if we are lucky enough Maria will not need an open heart surgery, the hole can be closed by catheter. But we will know for sure sometimes during next year.

I am so happy to be Maria's mum. She is a lovely child, has got a baby sister Angela and they are everything to me. I am trying not to think a lot about her defect, I am trying to educate parents who have kids with CHD in my country and to help them find the best doctors in Bulgaria. I feel like helping other kids is helping my kid too. I hope you will have no problems with my English, and want to tell every parent with a child with a heart defect that those kids are special and be happy at every second that you spend with them.