This one's for you, Steve!

Steve Catoe
The Funky Heart

As Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week (Feb. 7-14) gets off to roaring start, we're missing more than ever, one of our most influential, level-headed, just-the-facts-and-get-them-straight-please, beloved congenital heart advocates, Steve Catoe, affectionately known as The Funky Heart.

Among his countless posts that inspired and educated us, Steve also loved taking songs and rewriting their lyrics to include something about congenital heart disease. One of his last renditions was "South Bound and Down," about attending a HeartWalk in Atlanta. He wrote a number of others, including "Saving Grace," "The Way It Is," and "CHD in the USA." He used names of songs or lines from lyrics in his headlines or to lead off his blog posts.

In Steve’s spirit and to remember him this special week, we’ve taken the popular Christmas song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” (here's the tune) and done something Steve might have done this week — rewritten the lyrics for CHD Awareness Week!

Here’s to you, Steve!

(To the tune of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams)

It’s the most wonderful week of the year.

With our kids boist’risly yelling,

And everyone telling you,

“Just be a dear,

“And spread CHD stories all the year.”

It’s the most – most vital week of them all

With those CHD messages and advocate meetings

When friends are on call

It’s the most-most vital week of them all.

There’ll be parties for vic’tries,

Lighting candles for memories, and

Telling our stories on shows

There’ll be scary heart stories

And tales of our glories of

Triumphs we’ve made as we go.

It's the most wonderful week of the year

There’ll be reasons for sharing

Our hearts we’ll be baring

For our loved ones so dear

It's the most – most heard week of the year!

It’s the most wonderful week of the year.

With our kids boist’risly yelling,

And everyone telling you,

“Just be a dear,

“And spread CHD stories all the year.”