The Heart of a Mother
Edited by: Anna Marie Jaworski
Baby Hearts Press, 1999
ISBN: 0-9652508-1-4

• Here's what readers from Amazon.com had to say:
  
  • Reviewer: vicki (Vancouver, Canada) - August 26, 2001
    This is a book that all moms of children with heart defects should read at some time in their lives. It contains essays from "real moms" and their journeys with their "heart children". At times I thought I was reading about my own experiences of living with and caring for a child with a serious heart defect. It validated the feelings that I have and comforted me in knowing that I am not the only one going through this. Many of these essays will have you in tears, but others will have you experience the same joy these families have felt watching their children grow up into healthy, happy, productive adults, and to know that it can happen for my child is inspiring.

  • February 19, 2000: Matthew and Leanna Watson from California had this to say:
    You will no doubt be bombarded by medical information when you have a child with a congenital heart defect. While this info is crucial to making decisions about your child's medical care, it will not prepare you for the emotional journey of parenting a child with a CHD. This book helped me look forward for my son's future and remember the children we knew who didn't make it. Also look at www.tchin.org and www.babyheartspress.com. Good luck and may the angels watch over you as they have us....

  • December 14, 1999: Debbie Gilmore from Germany says:
    How does having a child with a Congenital heart defect change your life? Heart of A Mother may have the answers you are looking for. Armed with the information that my son Matthew had a congenital heart defect I went in search of answers. I couldn't find any books that dealt with this subject from a Mother's standpoint. I wanted to know how it would effect our family life. I had heard the medical statistics and now I wanted to know from other Mother's how their children grew and developed. What can Matthew achieve? Should you question the doctors or do you just blindly follow them? I had hundreds of questions that only another mother, father, grandparent or child could help me with. Anna's book contains over 61 heartfelt stories written by people like you and me, carefully woven together by Anna to form the book Heart of A Mother.

• From Central Florida Family Magazine , February 2000:
  Parents of children with congenital heart defects don't need a holiday to remind them about love. Anna Marie Jaworski, author of The Heart of a Mother Baby Hearts Press, $25), provides heartwarming stories of the relationships between these parents and their children, some of whom died young while others grew to function quite naturally as adults despite their birth defects.

  One mother, Carolyn Wise, was born with a ventricular defect that developed in Eisenmenger's Syndrom, causing damage to her lungs. Unable to give birth because of her health problem, she and her husband adopted children who became the loves of their lives. She shares a poem with her son and daughter, which resonates with parents regardless of the circumstances of birth:

  Not flesh of my flesh,
  Nor bone of my bone,
  But still, miraculously my own.
  Never forget for a single minute,
  That you didn't grow under my heart,
  But in it.

  Author Jaworski, whose 4-year-old son, Alexander, has survived two open-heart surgeries, offers this book as a written support group for parents, with more than 80 stories compiled throught the Internet from countries all over the world.

• From Twinsworld, Winter Edition 1999
  The Heart of a Mother is a compilation of wisdom contributed by sixty-one mothers of children with congenital heart defects from all over the world. these mothers have suffered through their children's diagnoses, their surgeries and hospitalizations and the day-to-day living that accompanies being the parent of a special child. These mothers share their words of guidance, their insights and their hope for the future as they recount their own stories. The focus of this book is on parents of children with heart problems; however,the deep and mature understanding provided will be helpful for any family with a child in great medical difficulty.

  Bonnie Munden contributed to the book by writing about one of her twin granddaughters, Caitlin, who has a life-threatening heart defect.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: A Handbook for Parents
by Anna Marie Jaworski
Baby Hearts Press
ISBN: 0-9652508-6-5

• Readers have posted the following reviews at Amazon.com:
  
  • June 7, 1999 - Misty Mayfield from Charleston, SC:
    This book was given to me by a hospital administrator 2 weeks after my son underwent the Norwood operation. My husband and I had spent the last 3 weeks studying the Internet, and books that were made available to us by the nurses, and found nothing that explained Colin's defect the way this book did. Not only that, but we were hard-pressed to find stories of other children with HLHS. Mrs. Jaworski's book provided us with a bit of inspiration that had been unavailable to us before.
  • May 4, 1999 - a reader from Clemson South Carolina:
    I found this book through my local library after the death of my son Cameron, he was only 12 days old. After his death we were told he had HLHS. If we had been aware of his condition I think your book would have been one of the best places for us to find information.
  • January 22, 1999 - A reader from Victoria, Canada
    Our baby is due in May,1999. This past Christmas we received the painful news that our little boy has HLHS. In the midst of our confusion, shock, and pain we continue to seek information as we strive to deep our understanding of HLHS and as we prepare for what lies ahead. This book has proven to be an invaluable companion. If you are expecting a child with HLHS this is one book you will want to have. If you know someone who is expecting a baby with HLHS consider this book as a gift - they will certainly appreciate it.

• From the Congenital Heart Disease Resource Page :
  Anna Jaworski and her husband Frank Jaworski, R.N. have put together a valuable resource for parents who are faced with their child having hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Based on their own experiences with their son, Anna first takes you through her personal experiences and emotions. The book then goes on to discuss the different options parents must consider: surgery, transplantation, or doing nothing. The book also goes into details about the different procedures, what to expect before and after surgery, what social services are available, and gives diagrams to illustrate the defects and corrective procedures. This book is a must for any parent needing to make the difficult decisions about the care of their child.

My Brother Needs an Operation
by: Anna Jaworski
Baby Hearts Press, 1999
ISBN: 0-9652508-2-2

• From MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, March 25, 2003
  I want to exalt Anna Jaworski for writing one of the most thoughtful books that I have read in a very long time. Inspired when her son Alex had to be hospitalized for open-heart surgery, the author saw the trauma on her other son, Joey, and realized there was a need not being addressed in this area.Her work has met this need with flying colors.
  Of course when a child must undergo an operation, we all zero in our attention and affection on them, and we should. However, without meaning to, we often forget the other children in the family and do not realize the emotional conflicts that they are encountering. This book will open your eyes to their feelings.
  Read more at Amazon.com

• From Birth to Three Parenting Newsletter, January/February 2000:
  After a brief background about Joey and his family, we learn that Alex, Joey's younger brother, must have an operation, and mother needs to accompany him to the hospital and stay with him. The adults in Joey's life help him learn to cope with his anxieties and emotions, and, as the story unfolds, the child listening to the story has an opportunity to discuss his own feelings with someone who loves him. It is helpful that the reason for Alex's hospitalization is not mentioned so the adult reading the stroy can preovide the child's personal details.
  Anna Marie Jaworski's presentation is simple and direct. She provides parents and other caregivers with important information about what is taking place developmentally and suggests ways to meet the child's needs and provide comfort and support. As the adult reads the story to the child, Jaworski includes questions for the unhospitalized child to answer to personalize the situation and help the child understand what is taking place.
  At the end of the book, there are activities for the unhospitalized child to do to create a scrapbook of the event.

• From Central Florida Family Magazine , November 1999:
  A gentle story about Joey's emotions when his little brother, Alex, must go with Mom to the hospital for an operation. The procedure is never mentioned, but it doesn't have to be. This book deals with the feelings of loss and anxiety the young boy feels without his mom and baby brother. Author Jaworski offers helpful suggestions for parents and guardians thrust into a similarly delicate situation. Despite the best efforts of dad and several relatives, Joey must realize on his own that his prayers and his actions have much to do with his own comfort during the lengthy, confusing time spent away from mom and brother.
  Illustrations by Linda Ball help to move the story along with caring and affection. The issue is one many families face at one time or another and the author does an excellent job of conveying the delicate message in a non-frightening way for parents and children alike.

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