International Pea Week Episode 4. Heartkids with Hannah

On day 4 of International Pea Week, Kate and Mandy talk to Hannah from Heartkids! Hannah is an amazing 'Superpea' – a twin mum with one twin who has complex medical needs due to a heart condition. Hannah’s daughter was diagnosed with a hole in the heart and underwent open-heart surgery at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital at only seven days of age. Hannah talks about the whirlwind impact on her whole family of her newborn’s diagnosis and initial 5-week hospitalisation, and then the shock of finding out that the surgery had been unsuccessful, which meant they had to do it all again – leading to a long three-month recovery period for her daughter including time in intensive care. Hannah was able to stay at Ronald McDonald House and shares stories about the challenges of caring for her sick baby in hospital while also caring for her twin. Hannah found great support through Heartkids. From helping Hannah deal with rectum situations in hospital initially to providing an ongoing community of care, they've been with the family from the beginning and have played an important role in their journey. Hannah’s daughter is now five years old, attending school and still receiving regular specialist treatment for her heart and also her lungs. Hannah talks about the real challenges of twin parenting when one of the twins has additional needs – the very reason why Kate and Mandy started Too Peas! Check out HeartKids via their website if you’d like to find out more information about their services or make a donation.  Plus:·      Donate to Special Olympics and support our athletes!·      Book tickets to our forthcoming live shows via our website·      Buy our book The Invisible Life Of Us ·      Get a signed copy and deck yourself out in some excellent Too Peas merch here!·      Listen to our Spotify playlist – Too Peas: Songs Our Guest Peas Love·      Melbourne forecast for Thursday May 5– Shower or two, possible small hail, 15 degrees·      Join our Facebook Hangout·      Find us on YouTubeThank you for supporting Too Peas In A Podcast! Don’t forget to rate and review Contact us here:Website: www.toopeasinapodcast.com.auEmail: [email protected]   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.