This week is Congenital Heart Defect Week and
February 14 is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day!
Approximately 1% of newborns are born with a heart defect. This year approximately 4,000 babies will not live to see their first birthday because of Congenital Heart Defects. Source: The Children's Heart Foundation.
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. C.H.I.N. is a national organization that provides reliable information, support services, financial assistance and resources to families of children with congenital heart defects and acquired heart disease, adults with congenital heart defects, and the professionals who work with them, they hope to raise public awareness about conditions that affect approximately 40,000 babies each year in the United States alone. It is their 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.
http://tchin.org/index.htm