Because hearts are important too

Research has shown that Congentital Heart Defects are the number one birth defect in our country and it has also shown that research on congenital hearts is unbelievably underfunded.



Early detection gives parents the chance to have their baby at the right hospital surrounded by the right doctors and that can make all the difference in the world. I remember during my pregnancy how many times I was offered a procedure that would test for a chromosomal defect and really, heart defects are much much more common than chromosomal abnormalities. As of January 2007 the American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists will recomend prenatal screening for down sydrome for every woman regardless of age. Unfortunately, similiar procedures in relation to heart defects are still not available.

Here are some other facts about Congenital Heart Defects that I found amazing. This can be found on It's My Heart's website.

* Congenital Heart Defects are the #1 birth defect.
Source: March of Dimes

* Congenital Heart Defects are the #1 cause of birth defect related deaths.
Source: March of Dimes

* About 1 out of every 100 babies are born each year with some type of Congenital Heart Defect. (approx. 40,000/year)
Source: Children's Heart Foundation

* Nearly twice as many children die from Congenital Heart Defects in the United States each year as from all forms of childhood cancers COMBINED, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHD.
Source: Children's Heart Foundation.

* The American Heart Association directs only $0.30 of every dollar donated toward research. The remainder goes toward administration, education and fundraising efforts. Of the $0.30 that goes toward research only $0.01 goes toward pediatric cardiology for CHD.
Source: Children’s Heart Foundation.

* This year approximately 4,000 babies will not live to see their first birthday because of Congenital Heart Defects.
Source: Children’s Heart Foundation

* The cost for inpatient surgery to repair Congenital Heart Defects exceeds $2.2 billion a year.
Source: Children’s Heart Foundation

* Of every dollar the government spends on medical funding only a fraction of a penny is directed toward Congenital Heart Defect research.
Source: Children’s Heart Foundation

* Though research is ongoing, at least 35 defects have now been identified.

4-8 percent born with CHD have Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.
4-10 percent born with CHD have Atrioventricular Septal Defects.
8-11 percent born with CHD have Coarctation of the Aorta.
9-14 percent born with CHD have Tetralogy of Fallot.
10-11 percent born with CHD have Transposition of the Great Arteries. (PARKER)
14-16 percent born with CHD have Ventricular Septal Defects. (PARKER)

* Although some babies will be diagnosed during gestation or at birth, sometimes the diagnosis is not made until days, weeks, months, or even years after. In some cases, CHD is not detected until adolescence or adulthood.
Source: March of Dimes

* It is a proven fact that the earlier CHD is detected and treated, it is more likely the affected child will survive and have less long term health complications.
Source: March of Dimes

Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery has improved drastically in the last fifty years. The strides they have made and the diseases they can now fix are truly amazing. 30 years ago babies born with TGA would have died in a matter of days. It is awesome that there is still more room to improve things in this "heart world". I think it is really important to raise awareness of CHDs. I know that when I found out about Parker's heart I had never heard of anyone who had a heart defect. I don't think I had ever considered that babies had heart problems. Anyways, it all starts with education and I am hoping that by putting Parker's story out here I can help to bring awareness to congenital heart defects and maybe if there is enough talk by enough people then there can be some changes in prenatal and post partum testing in every infant. No family should have to hear "We don't know what else to do".