Owner and founder of Baby Hearts Press, Anna Jaworski is the mother of a child with a complex, congenital heart defect known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. As a concerned mother, she looked for resources to help her understand her son's condition. In 1994, those resources were nowhere to be found, so Anna started writing resources and making them available to parents everywhere.

Anna's first book was Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: A Handbook for Parents . The book has been reviewed by Library Journal twice and has become a staple in many hospitals that treat children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

While preparing Alex and Joey for Alex's second open-heart surgery, Anna sought resources to help her older son, Joey. At the time Joey was a toddler and he was extremely affected by being separated from the family during Alex's first, emergency surgery. Anna hoped to find a book to help Joey through another surgery and hospitalization. She couldn't find the resource she was looking for in print. There was a book that looked promising, but it was out of print and not available at her local library or through inter-library loan. After Alex recovered from his second open-heart surgery, Anna decided that she needed to put together a resource for families like hers. My Brother Needs an Operation is Baby Hearts Press only children's book. It tells Joey's story and also has a place in the back of the book for the reader to share his or her own experience, making it a keepsake book for the whole family.

Anna met many people from around the world thanks to the Internet beginning in the late 1990s. She also helped start a support group in Austin. That support group, Milagros, enabled Anna to meet people "locally" who had children with congenital heart defects. With the support of fellow heart mom, Jane Hunt, Anna decided to publish a book for other heart mothers that told their stories. The result was The Heart of a Mother which Anna published in Panama City Beach, Florida. Milagros also helped Anna start a whole new adventure -- public speaking! Anna was Milagros' first speaker at their first support group meeting. Since then Anna has spoken across the United States and Canada.

Anna has written numerous articles and contributed to two medical textbooks. She has served as a witness in a federal court case. She has also had the joy of personally meeting people from around the world -- heart heroes and warriors she is happy to call friends. Please see the Conference Speaker Form

Publications

Endnote: "Helpless in the ICU" , Critical Care Nurse, October 1995.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: A Handbook for Parents , Baby Hearts Press, Mound, TX, 1996. (Revised in 1997 and 1998)

"What It Means to Be the Parent of a Child with a Heart Defect" , Baby Hearts Press, Mound, TX, 1996.

A Parent's Perspective: " An Anniversary ," Heart to Heart Newsletter, Pediatric Heart Foundation, December, 1998.

"The Heart of a Mother" (editor and contributor), Baby Hearts Press, Panama City Beach, FL, 1999.

" How do we tell our child she/he will need open-heart surgery? ", Children's Heart Services Newsletter, July/August, 2000.

" What Does It Mean To Be the Parent of a Child With a Heart Defect? ", Children's Heart Services Newsletter, May/June 2001. (reprint)

"CHD Awareness - Seven Ways You Can Help Raise It," , 2002

" Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: A Parent's Perspective " Anna Jaworski (contributor) in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome , Hani Hennein, M.D. and Edward Bove, M.D. (ed.), Futura Publishing Company, Armonk, NY, 2002.

"You Are Not Alone" in Circle of Hearts Family Support Network Newsletter,Spring/Summer 2003.

" The Personal Perspective " Anna Jaworski (contributor) in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome , Jack Rychik, M.D. and Gil Wernovsky, M.D. (ed.), Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell, MA, 2003.

The Heart of a Father, Anna Marie Jaworski, Bob Daigneault (editors), Baby Hearts Press, Temple, TX, 2009.

Hypoplastic Hearts, Anna Marie Jaworski, Baby Hearts Press, Temple, TX (in progress).

Guest Speaker: " Alexander's Story ", presented at Milagros (Central Texas Heart Support Group), Brackenridge Children's Hospital, July 8, 1996.

Keynote Address: " The Heart of a Mother ", presented at Parenting Your Heart Child: You are No Longer Alone, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, October, 21, 2000.

Keynote Address: " Growing Up with Congenital Heart Defects -- Yesterday and Today " and Concurrent Session Speech: " The Changing Needs of Parents As Children Grow Up with CHDs ", presented at the Third Annual Growing Up with Heart Disease Conference, Chan Centre for Family Health Education, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, September 29-30, 2001.

Keynote Address: " Sometimes Life Doesn't Go As Planned ", presented at Camp Joy Heart Family Retreat, Joy Outdoor Education Center, Cincinnati, OH, April 26-28, 2002.

Keynote Address: " A Parent's Journey ", presented at Heart Talk 2002 -- A Journey of the Heart, IWK Health Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, July 19-20, 2002.

Keynote Address: " Anna's Journey of the Heart ", presented at Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day at the Statehouse in Boston, MA, February 14, 2003 for the Massachusetts Heart Coalition.

Keynote Address: " Celebrating a Mother's Heart ", presented at Mother's Day Luncheon Benefiting Children with Congenital Heart Defects, Rocklin, CA, May 3, 2003, sponsored by the Children's Heart Fund Family Network.

Keynote Address: " Building Bridges to Tomorrow ", presented at Growing Up with Heart Disease Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, May, 2004 for the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.

Keynote Address: " Raising a Child with a Congenital Heart Defect: The Balancing Act " and Concurrent Session Speech: " My Child's Bright Future ," presented at the American Heart Association's Heart Heroes Conference, Miami, Florida, October 6, 2007.

Keynote Address: " Raising a Child with a Congenital Heart Defect " and Second Session Speech: " Planning for A Bright Future ," presented at the American Heart Association's Heart Heroes Conference, Panama City Beach, Florida, October 11, 2008.

Keynote Address: "Raising a Child with a Congenital Heart Defect: The Balancing Act" and Second Session Speech: "Planning For a Bright Future," presented at the American Heart Association's Heart Heroes Conference, Orlando, Florida, October 3, 2009

Guest Speaker: "My New Mission In Life" , presented at Onion Creek Arts and Literary Club, Austin, Texas, January 8, 2010.

Websites

Article about HLHS Featured in The Scrub Sink on Heart Surgery Forum, www.hsforum.com in 1999.

http://www.babyheartspress.com , owner since January 19, 1999.

http://www.congenitalheartdefects.com , owner since February 26, 2002.

Anna's Blog http://babyheartspress.blogspot.com/

Media Appearances

Fox 7 (TV), Author interview for The Heart of a Father with Bob Daigneault, June 18, 2009.

The Lori Moore Show (AM Radio) discussing "A Day for Hearts: Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day" on February 7, 2000.

The Bill Anthony Show (AM Radio) discussing "A Day for Hearts: Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day" on February 8, 2000.

The Bob Sands Show (AM Radio) discussing "A Day for Hearts: Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day" on February 14, 2000.

WKGC Almanac (National Public Radio) Author Interview, March 7, 2000.

San Antonio Living (TV), Author Interview for The Heart of a Mother with Shiloh Hanshew and Dawn Martin, March 22, 2000.

WBZ Radio 1030 AM with Jordan Rich, Anna Jaworski and Sheri Turner discuss CHD Awareness Day in Boston, MA, February 9, 2003.

Articles Featuring Anna Jaworski

" Luckiest parents in the world: Youngster's survival prompts mother to write book, form support group " by Larry Kennedy, The Gatesville Messenger, Gatesville, TX, Wednesday, June 26, 1996.

" Playing by heart " by Troy Espe, The News Herald, Panama City, FL, May 28, 1999.

" Panama City CMS Office Clowns Around with Families ,"Special Addition: Children with Special Health Care Needs: A Newsletter for Florida Families, February 2001.

" Students learn how 'Jump Rope for Heart' program helps others with heart problems " by Nicole Edwards, Temple Daily Telegram, Temple, TX, February 16, 2001.

" A story that touches hearts: One central Texas woman's publishing company is born out of a personal experience " by Rebecca Johnson, The Bells, Mary Hardin-Baylor University News, Belton, Texas, March 11, 2003.

" Interview With Anna Marie Jaworski - Owner of "Baby Hearts Press": A Publisher With A Mission! " by Midwest Book Reviewers Bookwatch: Book Reviews, Book Lover Resources, Advice for Writers and Publishers, Volume 2, Number 8, August 2003.

Additional Training

Attended Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Symposium sponsored by The Cardiovascular Institute and Ronald McDonald® of Loyola University Medical Center, November 20, 1999.

Attended Cardiology Y2K: Annual Update on Pediatric Cardiovascular Disease sponsored by The Cardiac Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: A Pediatric Healthcare Network in Walt Disney World, Orlando Florida, February 10-12, 2000.

Attended 1st International Cardiovascular Symposium sponsored by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, February 25-26, 2000.

Attended Fourth Annual Caring for Young Hearts conference sponsored by Daughters of Charity Health Services of Austin, November 2, 2002.

Honors

Advisor to the Pediatric Heart Research Association (formerly known as Toys for Nicholas), West Chester, Ohio.

Worked with Jeanne Imperati to pen the first request for February 14th to be considered Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day. By working with various listservs and individuals, this event has become not only a national event, but an international event touching lives around the world.

Other

Testified as a "substantive witness" in a federal court case ( United States v. Gene Bortnick ) involving the father of a child with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, February 2006.

Web page designed and maintained by Sue Dove