Cora Saves Lives

Izzy and I wore our pink today but we never did get a good picture because poor Iz has a wretched cold and I will spare you the leaky nose pics.

But she had on her pink hearts and I had bright pink in honor of a beautiful little girl named Cora who was born four years ago today. A simple, non-invasive, and inexpensive test called a pulse ox would have picked up Cora's critical congenital heart defect and given her a chance at life. Instead, in just five short days, Cora's mum will be facing the fourth anniversary of the death of her sweet girl.

But Cora's mum has devoted herself to making sure Cora's Story is never forgotten and has been instrumental in getting pulse ox screening added in many states as part of the standard newborn screening panel. There are many moms and dads and advocates out there fighting to bring pulse ox to all states but today, I wish to say thank you to Kristine for sharing her beautiful girl with us and making sure other babies get the chance Cora didn't.

If your state hasn't passed a law to add pulse ox screening to newborn screening, write your representatives and ask them to support it. If you know someone who is pregnant, tell them about pulse ox. If you are pregnant, make sure your baby gets a pulse ox after birth. Congenital Heart Defects affect 1 in 100. While a pulse ox does not pick up all heart defects, it does catch many of the most critical and can ensure a baby gets much needed intervention soon after birth.

‪#‎CoraSavesLives‬

Cora's Story