Background: Approximately 1000 children with a congenital heart disease are born in Sweden each year. Congenital heart diseases include malformations of the heart which comprise various anatomical differences. Progresses in diagnostics and treatment of the cardiac diseases have contributed to the survival of these young adults which makes a new and growing group of patients.

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe young adults' between the ages of 13-40 experiences of living with congenital heart disease.

Method: A literature study based on qualitative studies from Cinahl and PubMed was performed. Ten articles were analyzed by content analysis.

Results: The results of the study present two main categories "accept one's heart disease" and "challenge to accept one's heart disease" with a total of ten subcategories.

Conclusion: Individuals with congenital heart disease may experience their situation in various ways and they may or may not have accepted their congenital heart disease. Some individuals feel that the disease contributes to personal strength, while others are living with a constant presence of anxiety over the fact that life can change for the worse at any time.