Being a Fan of the Best Team Ever

For those of you who don’t know, I’m a HUGE fan of the New York Yankees.  I like to joke that “We only cheer for one team in our house.”  The photo above is of the 1927 New York Yankees, often noted as the greatest team ever in the history of baseball.  Why?  They had a lineup delightfully called “Murderer’s Row”…they were an offensive juggernaut, headlined by a #3 hitter you may have heard of named Babe Ruth.  Oh, and if you wanted to simply walk the Babe, the next hitter was Lou Gehrig.  Yeah, you were pretty much screwed if you were an opposing pitcher.  In my era, the 1998 Yankees were an absolute beast.  They were a lot different than the ’27 team, though.  They didn’t have a similar offensive force…they wore you down as a team full of patient hitters and great pitching.  They won 116 games and pretty much dismantled everyone during the season, playoffs included. 

So just before you start rolling your eyes thinking this is all about the Yankees, it’s not…I want to talk about another epic  team that is like none other: my son’s heart team.

The Pediatric Heart Care team through Sanger Heart & Vascular and Levine Children’s Hospital is the BEST.  Period.  These folks work really hard to make sure that your child has the best care and that you feel informed and valued as a parent, and that’s pretty special.  When you come in for appointments, you’re always welcomed warmly.  When you have to see a cardiologist, any of them will be patient and informative.  When your child is hospitalized, they go out of their way to be helpful and look out for the best interests of your child.  Yes, I do wanna brag…Nolan’s team is the best around. 

Want proof?  Here’s your proof: take some time to read through the Congenital Heart Services and Outcomes book http://www.carolinashealthcare.org/documents/lch/LCH-Congenital-Heart-Center.pdf

Want numbers?  In 2011, they performed 302 surgeries with a mortality rate of 2.4%, better than the national average of 3.2%.  Better recognize.

They’re a great team and they work so well together, and it’s all for the benefit of the little ones who are under their care.  I trust them and wouldn’t want any other team. 

I could put a post daily on this blog thanking this team for all they’ve done for Nolan, and it would be enough, and it wouldn’t even come close to being enough to showing how awesome they are.  So I want to thank you, Heart Team, for being who you are, for valuing our voice as parents, and for sharing in our excitement when our kids do well.  Trust me, it means a lot to see you all involved in different events, because it shows that your care extends far beyond the hospital or doctor’s office.  Having a CHD baby is like being in a club that no one necessarily wants to be in, but I’m thankful to have you all on our side.  I’m proud to cheer you on as you cheer on my son.  I don’t know where we’d be without you.

And finally I’ll leave you with a quote from the great philosopher Babe Ruth: “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success.  You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”