nearly 1 in 100 babies are born with a congenital heart defect (CHD). Half will need surgery just to survive.
Children fortunate enough to be born in the United States or other industrialized nations will receive this lifesaving intervention regardless of their economic status.
In countries like these mortality rates for children with heart defects have lowered dramatically due to improved surgical techniques and methods of detection.
Each year more than one million babies are born with CHD. That means 500,000 infants will need lifesaving surgical intervention in 2009...and every year thereafter. Imagine how many of these one million babies, through no fault of their own, will be born to modest families in underdeveloped nations. How many of these infants will survive long enough to celebrate a single birthday? Now imagine you are the parent of one of these children. Where do you go for help?
is the first and only organization that matches children with CHD who need livesaving surgery but do not have access to appropriate care, with the many generous organizations, surgeons and healthcare professionals who donate their time, talent and resources to perform these repairs for free.