My relatively new friend in the social network/blogging world, Monica Rafie, wrote on her Facebook page today:

Today begins CHD (Congenital Heart Defect) Awareness week. What expectant parents should be “aware” of is that the 20 wk ultrasound is not just for your refrigerator photos, but a look at your baby’s heart (and other things). If something is discovered, please know, you are not alone . . . 1 in 100 have some type of heart defect, and there is lots of support, hope, and help for you and your baby.

Monica is the founder of BeNotAfraid.net, a network of concerned parents, professionals, and laypersons offering hope and help to families after a poor prenatal diagnosis – something that frequently leads to abortion.

Incidentally, the little boy who has been stealing millions of hearts over the past few days for his role as “Darth Vader” in what I believe was the best and indeed is the most talked about Super Bowl commercial this year, is himself a CHD survivor. He is six-year-old Max Page and he had his first surgery when he was just 3 months old for the heart defect Tetralogy of Fallot. His mother, Jennifer Page, told The Today Show this morning:

“They saved his life and gave him back to us about a week after his first surgery. He had to have a pacemaker put in, so he has maintenance on that.

“He’s still routinely at the hospital, but we try to make it fun; we have blankets and bears and we try to make it not so scary.”

Watch Max and Jennifer’s Today Show interview and the commercial (which has been viewed over 18 MILLION times in just six days!) if you haven’t already and get more information about CHD and other common prenatally diagnosed diseases at BeNotAfraid.net.