Anna Marie Jaworski received her Master of Education degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990 and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Our Lady of the Lake University of San Antonio in 1984. Her educational career included teaching deaf and hard-of-hearing students in a mainstream high school classroom, teaching elementary school dyslexic children and teaching math to deaf and hard-of-hearing middle school students at Texas School for the Deaf.
Mrs. Jaworski became a stay-at-home mother after giving birth to her son, Joseph, in 1991. In 1994, the Jaworskis were blessed with another son, Alexander. Alexander was born with a series of severe, congenital heart defects which his cardiologist labeled as "hypoplastic left heart syndrome." Unable to find information to help lay persons understand this complex heart defect, Mrs. Jaworski has put together materials for families dealing with congenital heart defects and has spoken at conferences for families and professionals dealing with congenital heart defects.
Anna is available to speak at conferences and events. For more information about having Anna speak at your conference or event, please see the Conference Speaker Form . To see a fee schedule, click Here .
Publications
Endnote: "Helpless in the ICU" , Critical Care Nurse, October 1995.
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: A Handbook for Parents , Baby Hearts Press, Mound, TX, 1996. (Revised in 1997 and 1998)
"What It Means to Be the Parent of a Child with a Heart Defect" , Baby Hearts Press, Mound, TX, 1996.
"I Don't Think My Son's PC is God (a long rant)" , Letters from Anna, April 30, 1998.
My Brother Needs an Operation , Baby Hearts Press, Panama City Beach, FL, 1998.
"Stitches, Birthday and a Move" , Letters from Anna, August 10, 1998.
" The Train Trip, Getting Settled and Hurricane Earl " , Letters from Anna, September 4, 1998.
" Re-introduction and an Update " , Letters from Anna, November 2, 1998.
" Meeting "Old" Friends for the First Time " , Letters from Anna, November 3, 1998.
" A Fight, Resolution and Joy " , Letters from Anna, November 23, 1998.
A Parent's Perspective: " An Anniversary ," Heart to Heart Newsletter, Pediatric Heart Foundation, December, 1998.
" Research--Caution " , Letters from Anna, January 23, 1999.
" Are We Ever Really Done? " Letters from Anna, February 13, 1999.
" Future Uncertain--Crystal Ball, Please! " , Letters from Anna, April 7, 1999.
" Special Day " , Letters from Anna, May 8, 1999.
" Our Amazing Children " , Letters from Anna, July 27, 1999.
" A Magical Milestone " , Letters from Anna, August 5, 1999.
" The Heart of a Mother " (editor and contributor), Baby Hearts Press, Panama City Beach, FL, 1999.
" Chosen Ones " , Letters from Anna, June 9, 1999.
" A Day to Remember ", Bay Parents Magazine, Panama City, FL, 1999.
" Anna's Letter ," Children's Heart Services Newsletter, September/October 1999.
" Growing Up with Congenital Heart Defects " , The Writers' Corner, 2000.
" The Worst Heart Defect " , the Writers' Corner, 2000.
" Heart Defects in the Young " The Writers' Corner, 2000.
" Emotional Feelings & Alex's Creation " Letters from Anna, March 11, 2000.
" How do we tell our child she/he will need open-heart surgery? ", Children's Heart Services Newsletter, July/August, 2000.
" A Letter to Tina, a Mother Expecting a Baby with HLHS " , Letters from Anna, January, 2001.
" Another Letter to Tina " , Letters from Anna, January 2001.
" Compassionate Care - Anna's Response " , Letters from Anna, March, 2001.
" What Does It Mean To Be the Parent of a Child With a Heart Defect? ", Children's Heart Services Newsletter, May/June 2001. (reprint)
" 11 Things I Wish My Child's Doctor Knew " , Baby Hearts Press, Temple, TX, 2001.
" HLHS After the Fontan " , Baby Hearts Press, Temple, TX, 2001.
" Homeschooling an HLHS Child " , Baby Hearts Press, Temple, TX, 2001.
" CHD Awareness - Seven Ways You Can Help Raise It, " , 2002
" Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: A Parent's Perspective " Anna Jaworski (contributor) in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome , Hani Hennein, M.D. and Edward Bove, M.D. (ed.), Futura Publishing Company, Armonk, NY, 2002.
" You Are Not Alone " in Circle of Hearts Family Support Network Newsletter, Spring/Summer 2003.
" Anna Jaworski's FAQ for Radio Interviews " , 2003.
" The Personal Perspective " Anna Jaworski (contributor) in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome , Jack Rychik, M.D. and Gil Wernovsky, M.D. (ed.), Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell, MA, 2003.
" Alex Gets His Black Belt -- A Success Story ," September 2004.
The Heart of a Father, Anna Marie Jaworski, Frank Jaworski and Bob Daigneault (editors), Baby Hearts Press, Temple, TX, (in progress).
Hypoplastic Hearts, Anna Marie Jaworski, Baby Hearts Press, Temple, TX (in progress).
Have you ever wondered what causes hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS)? Baby Hearts Press website, Baby Hearts Press, Temple, Texas October, 2007.
Translations of Anna's Articles
Emotional Feelings and Alex's Creations (Japanese)
A Magical Milestone (Japanese)
Presentations
Guest Speaker: " Alexander's Story ", presented at Milagros (Central Texas Heart Support Group), Brackenridge Children's Hospital, July 8, 1996.
Keynote Address: " The Heart of a Mother ", presented at Parenting Your Heart Child: You are No Longer Alone, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, October, 21, 2000.
Keynote Address: " Growing Up with Congenital Heart Defects -- Yesterday and Today " and Concurrent Session Speech: " The Changing Needs of Parents As Children Grow Up with CHDs ", presented at the Third Annual Growing Up with Heart Disease Conference, Chan Centre for Family Health Education, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, September 29-30, 2001.
Keynote Address: " Sometimes Life Doesn't Go As Planned ", presented at Camp Joy Heart Family Retreat, Joy Outdoor Education Center, Cincinnati, OH, April 26-28, 2002.
Keynote Address: " A Parent's Journey ", presented at Heart Talk 2002 -- A Journey of the Heart, IWK Health Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, July 19-20, 2002.
Keynote Address: " Anna's Journey of the Heart ", presented at Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day at the Statehouse in Boston, MA, February 14, 2003 for the Massachusetts Heart Coalition.
Keynote Address: " Celebrating a Mother's Heart ", presented at Mother's Day Luncheon Benefiting Children with Congenital Heart Defects, Rocklin, CA, May 3, 2003, sponsored by the Children's Heart Fund Family Network.
Keynote Address: " Building Bridges to Tomorrow ", presented at Growing Up with Heart Disease Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, May, 2004 for the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.
Keynote Address: " Raising a Child with a Congenital Heart Defect: The Balancing Act " and Concurrent Session Speech: " My Child's Bright Future ," presented at the American Heart Association's Heart Heroes Conference, Miami, Florida, October 6, 2007.
Websites
Article about HLHS Featured in The Scrub Sink on Heart Surgery Forum, www.hsforum.com in 1999.
http://www.babyheartspress.com , owner since January 19, 1999.
http://www.congenitalheartdefects.com , owner since February 26, 2002.
Media Appearances
The Lori Moore Show (AM Radio) discussing "A Day for Hearts: Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day" on February 7, 2000.
The Bill Anthony Show (AM Radio) discussing "A Day for Hearts: Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day" on February 8, 2000.
The Bob Sands Show (AM Radio) discussing "A Day for Hearts: Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day" on February 14, 2000.
WKGC Almanac (National Public Radio) Author Interview, March 7, 2000.
San Antonio Living (TV), Author Interview for The Heart of a Mother with Shiloh Hanshew and Dawn Martin, March 22, 2000.
WBZ Radio 1030 AM with Jordan Rich, Anna Jaworski and Sheri Turner discuss CHD Awareness Day in Boston, MA, February 9, 2003.
Articles Featuring Anna Jaworski
" Luckiest parents in the world: Youngster's survival prompts mother to write book, form support group " by Larry Kennedy, The Gatesville Messenger, Gatesville, TX, Wednesday, June 26, 1996.
" Playing by heart " by Troy Espe, The News Herald, Panama City, FL, May 28, 1999.
" Panama City CMS Office Clowns Around with Families ," Special Addition: Children with Special Health Care Needs: A Newsletter for Florida Families, February 2001.
" Students learn how 'Jump Rope for Heart' program helps others with heart problems " by Nicole Edwards, Temple Daily Telegram, Temple, TX, February 16, 2001.
" A story that touches hearts: One central Texas woman's publishing company is born out of a personal experience " by Rebecca Johnson, The Bells, Mary Hardin-Baylor University News, Belton, Texas, March 11, 2003.
" Interview With Anna Marie Jaworski - Owner of "Baby Hearts Press": A Publisher With A Mission! " by Midwest Book Reviewers Bookwatch: Book Reviews, Book Lover Resources, Advice for Writers and Publishers, Volume 2, Number 8, August 2003.
Additional Training
Attended Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Symposium sponsored by The Cardiovascular Institute and Ronald McDonaldŽ of Loyola University Medical Center, November 20, 1999.
Attended Cardiology Y2K: Annual Update on Pediatric Cardiovascular Disease sponsored by The Cardiac Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: A Pediatric Healthcare Network in Walt Disney World, Orlando Florida, February 10-12, 2000.
Attended 1st International Cardiovascular Symposium sponsored by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, February 25-26, 2000.
Attended Fourth Annual Caring for Young Hearts conference sponsored by Daughters of Charity Health Services of Austin, November 2, 2002.
Honors
Inducted into the National Association of Professional Women , 2008.
Included in Who's Who in Executives and Professionals, West Islip, NY, 2003-2004.
Advisor to the Pediatric Heart Research Association (formerly known as Toys for Nicholas), West Chester, Ohio.
Worked with Jeanne Imperati to pen the first request for February 14th to be considered Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day. By working with various listservs and individuals, this event has become not only a national event, but an international event touching lives around the world.
Other
Testified as a "substantive witness" in a federal court case ( United States v. Gene Bortnick ) involving the father of a child with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, February 2006.