Awareness

Congenital Heart Defects are the most common form of birth defect and the leading cause of birth defect related deaths in babies under 1 year of age. Approximately 40,000 babies are born every year in the United States with a CHD, and the cause is unknown in most cases. This makes the incidence of congenital heart defects greater than that of all childhood cancers combined yet 3 times the amount is spent on pediatric cancer research than on projects which focus on congenital heart defects.

Across the country, most states and even some cities have designated February 14th, Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day. This is a HUGE step in the right direction. Creating an awareness of CHD’s is crucial to facilitating research. Educating parents and medical professionals about risk factors, symptoms and treatment options is vital to providing these children with the best possible care.

Most people do not realize that the definition of congenital is “ existing at birth “ and heart defect is the malformation of the heart. Scientists and health professionals often refer to congenital heart defects as congenital heart disease and this can be confusing to the average person.

Because children typically have a long life ahead of them, for those who do survive, the burden and cost of children’s heart disease is significant for families and society. Currently, there are over 1 million adults with a CHD in the United States. This number is expected to grow by 5% each year. This increasing number of adults with CHD will consume a greater portion of health care dollars. It is vital that health professionals, policy makers, and the public be educated about this disease to understand the specific health care, employment, and insurance issues for this population.

Toys for Nicholas advocates blood donation because so many of our children use large amounts of blood during their open heart surgeries.

One in four of us will be the recipient of a blood transfusion in our lifetime. That is why it is so important that healthy individuals donate blood regularly to insure that there will always be an adequate blood supply for those in need. By donating about an hour of your time and a pint of your blood, you can share a gift worth infinitely more. Please contact us if you have any questions or need more information about being a blood donor.