GA dad writes song honoring son with congenital heart disease

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It's a condition that is more common than people might think, but one out of every hundred babies born in the United States will have some sort of heart condition. 

It came as a total shock for Ant and Beth Abbot when they learned their newborn Finn Abbot had congenital heart disease. Ant Abbot told FOX 5 it was really sad for their family.

"There's a whole gamut of feelings you go through that shock you," the father said. 

The situation began to unfold when the family was out shopping for a Christmas tree. Finn was just 10 days old at the time and his mother knew something was wrong. She said he wasn't eating and then within a few moments he started turning colors.

"He was ash white and then he started to turn blue. Just in a snap second it started to go downhill rather quickly," Beth said. 

The parents rushed their newborn to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, desperate to find out what was wrong with their son. Finn was diagnosed with congenital heart disease. Along with having two holes in his little heart, he also had an abnormally small heart valve. 

Several surgeries were needed immediately. Both mom and dad were surprised and overwhelmed with the diagnosis. They said there were no indications that their son had any problems.

For then next year, their life now completely focused on Finn. His family didn't know if he would survive another surgery.

Most nights, Ant spent beside his son's bed writing. It was a way for him to deal with Finn's condition. Of that time, he penned the song "Reach for the Sky!"

"I though this could be an anthem for families and not just heart disease." Ant told FOX 5. "I wanted to write something that would be hope and uplifting for them."

 

The song is now available for download on iTunes and for free on Spotify. 

As for baby Finn, he's doing pretty well. He still has several surgeries lined up, but doctors are confident he will recover!