Helping Hearts: A Congenital Heart Defects Fundraiser

Saturday, February 11, 2012
10:00 am - 7:00 pm

CHD Facts

  • Congenital heart defects are conditions that are present at birth and can affect the structure of a baby's heart and the way it works. They are the most common type of birth defect. As medical care and treatment have advanced, infants with congenital heart defects are living longer and healthier lives. Many now are living into adulthood.

  • Congenital Heart Disease is considered to be the most common birth defect, and is a leading cause of birth-defect related deaths worldwide.

  • Despite the fact that CHD affects approximately 1.8 millions families in the U.S., a relatively small amount of funding is currently available for parent/patient educational services, research, and support.

  • By sharing our experiences and providing information, we hope to raise public awareness about conditions that affect approximately 40,000 babies each year in the United States alone.

  • It is our sincere hope that efforts to educate the public will result in improved early diagnosis, additional funding for support and educational services, scientific research, and access to quality of care for our children and adults.

  • Nearly twice as many children die from Congenital Heart Defects in the United States each year as from all forms of childhood cancers combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for Congenital Heart Defects.

  • Each year in the United States approximately 4,000 babies (under one year old) will not live to celebrate their first birthday The cost for inpatient surgery to repair Congenital Heart Defects exceeds $2.2 billion a year.

  • Of every dollar the government spends on medical funding only a fraction of a penny is directed toward Congenital Heart Defect research.

  • The American Heart Association directs only $0.30 of every dollar donated toward research. The remainder goes toward administration, education and fundraising efforts. Of the $0.30 that goes toward research only $0.01 goes toward pediatric cardiology for CHD.

    * Facts found at TCHIN.org, It's My Heart, Midwest Heart Connection, and American Heart Association.