Today is my birthday, and I’m celebrating by sharing my favorite new toy with you. The toy is a spin off from the meltdown cards first brought to my attention by Katie Wetherbee who blogs at Diving for Pearls.

TEF Information Cards

My new toy is a pack of information cards about EA/TEF (Esophageal Atresia/Tracheoesophageal Fistula), the congenital defect my husband and I first heard about several hours after our first child’s birth. For years we endured the stares and disapproving looks of strangers when they heard Allen’s barky cough or watched him gag up food at restaurants.

Some Things Haven’t Changed in 28 Years

According to moms parenting EA/TEF kids 28 years after Allen’s birth, they still deal with stares and disapproving looks. After they read about the meltdown informational cards about autism, one mom suggested making similar cards for EA/TEF. And Heather, mom to Kestrel, volunteered to create them. The cards are now available for purchase at Heather’s EA/TEF store.

Thanks for the Birthday Present, Heather Greywolf

So thanks for the new toy, Heather. It makes up for the birthday in 1982 years ago when our son and I were life-flighted to the University of Nebraska Hospital in Omaha for a second, unexpected surgery on his tiny esophagus. Sometimes, that day seems like yesterday, but knowing that the TEF information cards you created are available to a new generation of EA/TEF parents will soften those old memories.

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