In a previous post, I shared a little of my journey as the mother of child born with congenital heart disease (CHD). Today, I’m handing over the blog to Shakira, who offers us a different perspective: what it’s like growing up as a HeartKid. This is her informative and inspiring story. Meet Shakira My name is Shakira and I am a […]
Valentine’s Day began as a day to honour at least one Christian martyr named Valentine, said to be executed on 14 February in ancient Roman times. These days, it’s better known as a day of love, and is big business for many in the retail and hospitality trades. Last year, Australia spent approximately $790 million on Valentine’s […]
The fragility of life was slammed home last month when a fellow HeartKid family lost their three-year-old son, Xander, suddenly and unexpectedly. His parents, Craig and Sarah Nicholls, held a moving memorial service beside a lake. At their request, family and friends wore bright colours. The sun shone, birds sung and children blew bubbles. The day was a celebration of having […]
Today is September 11, or 9/11 as it is often known. Many of us still recall hearing, with shock and disbelief, that planes had flown into the World Trade Centre on this day in 2001. Every year the media ensures we remember. For the families of those killed, how can they forget? But there is another […]
As a child who grew up surrounded by books, and often spent more time in fictional worlds than the real one, it’s difficult to imagine a life without them. But for many children, particularly those in remote Aboriginal communities, this is a sad reality. Did you know: Only 1 in 5 kids in a NT […]
Today I witnessed name calling, put downs, blaming, snide remarks, interrupting and petty bickering. As a parent, I’d be horrified if one of my children was subjected to such behaviour. I’d be even more mortified if I discovered they had been the perpetrator. Only I wasn’t in the schoolyard. I was watching Parliamentary Question Time. The difference between Question Time […]