Growing up with a significant congenital heart condition can create a complex emotional and regulation challenges, especially for a child trying to understand their medical experiences, their parents emotions and the sometimes scary experiences of being alone during procedures. As a young person experiencing the pain of chronic illness, coupled with the reality of medical procedures and the uncertainty of diagnosis, they may have struggled with intense feelings of anger, frustration, and confusion. These emotions are common when a child is confronted with the fragility of their health. Even their family can't truly grasp what it’s like to live with such a condition. These early and sometimes ongoing experiences of pain, grief, and dysregulation around not having a body that can "do" what they want can impact their entire lives throughout adulthood. My foundation to become a counsellor focused on medical trauma, resilience, and supporting children and families navigating similar struggles was inspired by similar personal experiences. I understand how isolating and confusing it can be to reconcile your identity with a medical diagnosis or to face a seemingly endless series of difficult medical experiences. In the process of my own healing, I built my own resilience and insight into the power of processing grief—grief not just for the loss of "normal" childhood experiences, but for the ongoing losses that came with my chronic illness, including the limitations on my body, my scars, and my continued uncertainty that comes with chd. Through therapy I have learned that being heard heals what Liza Morton calls the "deepest scars" of having CHD, which is the stories we carry.