Teneritas · Heartbeat Forward Press
Books on Congenital Heart Disease
Written for families, survivors, and every heart touched by CHD — three books that refuse to let congenital heart disease be invisible.
Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect in the world, affecting 1 in 100 children born each day. These books exist because the CHD community deserves stories, truth, and words that make them feel less alone.
Teneritas Press · 2026
The Quiet Majority
Why Congenital Heart Disease Deserves to Be SeenThe book that began it all. The Quiet Majority makes the case, plainly and without flinching, for why congenital heart disease deserves far more attention, research, and public understanding than it receives. Cover art by Marco Moreci.
"CHD is the most common birth defect on earth — and one of the least understood."
Teneritas Press · 2026
Letters to the Waiting Room
For Every Family Touched by Congenital Heart DiseaseFourteen letters written directly to the people who live this every day — CHD families, survivors, and the caregivers beside them in the waiting room. Intimate, direct, and written to be read in the hardest moments. Cover art by Marco Moreci.
"You are not the only family in the waiting room tonight."
Teneritas Press · 2026
You Were Built Different
A Book for Every Child with CHDWritten directly for the children living this story themselves. You Were Built Different tells every child with congenital heart disease that their scar, their surgeries, and their different heart are part of how they were made — not something to hide. Cover art by Marco Moreci.
"Your heart fought hard. And you? You were built different."
Every copy matters. Every heart counts.
When you purchase one of these books, you are telling a child in a cardiac unit, and the family beside them, that their story is worth knowing.
Heartbeat Forward is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Book proceeds support CHD awareness, hospital care packages, and our mission to fund heart surgeries for children in need.