CHD Awareness week

CHD Awareness week is February 7th-14th. 

Having a child with a congenital heart defect is heart breaking. Watching your child suffer is something no parent should have to go through, and no one can really take that hurt away. However, anyone can help make a parents burdens a little lighter. 

Two days after Lincoln's birth I walked through the hospital completly drained. The last two days were a whirlwind of emotions and I was left with little hope. I walked into Lincoln's room to find a stuffed animal racoon sitting on the end of Lincoln's bed. I asked the nurse where it came from. She said Lincoln won it at Bingo night. Tears filled my eyes, and my heart filled with hope. My baby was lucky. Someone had donated this little racoon having no idea how much joy it would bring to someone who had little to be joyful about. You too can make a difference. 

As part of CHD awareness week I will be collecting items to deliver to the families that have children in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Primary Chidlren's as well as items to donate to the kids in the hospital. 

I will be putting gift baskets together for families:

Snacks

Cards

Note books/pens

Blankets

Water bottle containers

Treats

Gum

Books/ magazines

Top Needed Items:

They ask that the items be new or lightly used.

• Nail Polish
• New Release DVDs (child appropriate)
• Match Box or Hot Wheels cars
• XBox 360 Games - rate E
• Snappable Newborn Sleepers (0-12 months)

• Rattles - washable, no cloth
• Bubbles
• Washable Crayola markers
• 3 oz. containers of Play-doh

*Email me at caradahl@gmail.com to arrange for me to pick up items you would like to donate

A complete list of items to donate can be found at:

http://intermountainhealthcare.org/hospitals/primarychildrens/donations/service-eagle-projects/Pages/home.aspx

To donate online go to:

http://www.childrensheartfoundation.org/

• Congenital heart defects are America’s and every country’s #1 birth defect. Nearly one of every 100 babies is born with a CHD.
• Congenital heart defects are the #1 cause of birth defect related deaths.
• Congenital heart defects are the leading cause of all infant deaths in the United States.
• Each year approximately 40,000 babies are born in the United States with a congenital heart defect. Thousands of them will not reach their first birthday and thousands more die before they reach adulthood.
• Each year over 1,000,000 babies are born worldwide with a congenital heart defect. 100,000 of them will not live to see their first birthday and thousands more die before they reach adulthood.

Lifelong Disease

• Almost half all children and adults with complex congenital heart disease have neurological and developmental disabilities.
• There are an estimated 2,000,000 CHD survivors in the United States.
• For the first time, more than 50% of the CHD survivors are adults.
• 10% of all CHD cases evaluated in an Adult CHD clinic are first diagnosed in adulthood.