Last night I was reflecting on the simple little question the reporter asked when he interviewed me at the Hope for Hearts event. “If you could tell people one thing about CHD what would it be?” I get asked this a lot and am never happy with my answer. So I was thinking or dreaming or something about answering this question (again) and this is what I came up with:
1. Awareness- Congenital Heart Defects are THE #1 birth defect, twice as deadly as all pediatric cancers combined, but funding for pediatric cancer is five times higher than for CHD. CHDs are the least publicized defect/disease yet the most prevalent in the US and globally, many do not see their first birthday. Invasive surgery saves many lives and for the first time 50% of CHD survivors are adults!
2. Funding- Congenital Heart Defects are grossly under-funded relative to the prevalence to the disease.
3. Research- The Children’s Heart Foundation is the only organization solely created to fund CHD research.
Facts from www.childrensheartfoundation.org
Love & Hope,
Sarah
