ECHOing... - the heart and soul of Let It ECHO

One of the things we miss doing because of the pandemic is our Echoing activity. We miss physically meeting the parents who became family to us.

So what happens in an echoing? Echoing is an activity that we try to do at least twice a year. We invite all parents and their kids who had surgeries and those who are still seeking surgery. This is a venue for each family to bond and talk about their journey. For parents who are still seeking surgery for their kids, they get to see the kids who already had surgery too. Knowing that these kids are now healthy and living like regular kids help motivate and encourage these parents.

In these echoing, we also invited external speakers like doctors who gave talks about relevant information in caring for children with congenital heart defects. We plan to continue that. In the future, we hope to invite psychiatrists or behavioral expert who would be able to give a talk about grieving and how to bounce back from it. These are for parents who loose their kids because of CHD. Other talks planned in the future also include talks about Marriage and how to take care of it while caring for your sick kid.

We end our gathering in a Circle Group where parents randomly put together and given discussion starters so each one get to share their story.

This is the typical program flow:

1. Opening Prayer

2. Introduction: Who is Let It Echo?

   1. How it Started

   2. Aims to Create a Movement

3. Meet and Greet

   1. New and Old Members

   2. Pre and Post Surgery Heart Warriors

4. CHD Facts

5. Heart Journey: <Sharer>

6. Intermission

7. Heart Journey: <Sharer>

8. Heart Journey: <Sharer>

9. Group Sharing