Lauren Bednarz
I am a 26-year-old congenital heart defect survivor born with tricuspid atresia, and a hypoplastic right ventricle. I basically have half a functioning heart and am currently 23 years post-Fontan. I was also born with congenital scoliosis and an eye muscle disease. I have been through two open-heart surgeries, three eye muscle surgeries, and the list goes on. From a young age I had anxiety about many things. I was called a "worry wart." As I got into my teenage and adult years, my anxiety got to the point of anxiety attacks. I feel that having a chronic illness played a big role in my anxiety and that it influenced my desire to earn a degree in psychology. I am in the process of becoming a child life specialist on the cardiac floor as I feel I can relate to young heart patients in the hospital who are scared or have anxiety.
