For those of you who dislike Valentine’s Day, here’s something else to focus on Feb 14th of every year.
A Day for Hearts: Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day is on February 14th of every year.
Valentines Day is so much more than corny love cards, roses and chocolates 😉 Please take 2 minutes to educate yourself about something very few know about.
Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Weekâ„¢ (February 7-14, 2008)
Congenital Heart Defects (CHD)
Although some babies will be diagnosed at birth, sometimes the diagnosis is not made until days, weeks, months, or even years after. In some cases, CHDs are not detected until adolescence or adulthood.
Some CHDs may not require treatment other than periodic visits to a Pediatric Cardiologist. Others can be treated with medications or repaired with surgery and/or procedures. Complex defects may require several surgeries.
Many cases of sudden cardiac death in young athletes are caused by undiagnosed CHDs and Childhood Onset Heart Disease.
It is estimated that more adults than children are living with congenital heart disease, and this population is expected to grow by 5% each year. Yet, many adults with CHD are not receiving adequate ongoing care from trained specialists.
Most CHD’s are never really “cured” (this message needs to be emphasized) and are very different from typical heart disease.
Now you know…and I thank you for taking the time.
Please consider inviting others to the group to help raise awareness or by making a donation directly to
SickKids CARDIOLOGY
SickKids Foundation
525 University Avenue, 14th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M5G 2L3
1-800-661-1083
For those of you on FaceBook, here’s the group link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8715043707&ref=mf