The Children's Heart Foundation

Help us give a BIG thank you to the Gold Sponsor of the 2024 Los Angeles Congenital Heart Walk, Veterans Communication Services Inc. ❤️ You can support the event by registering to join us this Sunday or by making a donation today: https://lnkd.in/gmTRpncU

The 2024 Los Angeles Congenital Heart Walk is THIS Sunday, July 28th! 🤩 Join us at Griffith Park for fun activities, games, music, refreshments, peace and remembrance, research remarks, and our family-friendly walk as we raise funds for the most promising congenital heart defect research.❤ Want to join us?! Register today: https://lnkd.in/gmTRpncU

Meet team Maya's Miracles, who will be walking at the Los Angeles Congenital Heart Walk this weekend ❤The team walks in honor of #HeartWarrior Maya. Their team captain is Maya's father, Cory Wharton, of MTV's The Challenge. He shares: "Our daughter Maya was born with a congenital heart defect called tricuspid atresia with VSD. We found out at 25 weeks pregnant. We also found out that she would need three open heart surgeries to live. Tricuspid Atresia causes less oxygen to flow into the lungs. Maya was born on June 1st 2022 and at just 6 days old she had a cath lab procedure placing a stent canceling out one of the open heart procedures successfully. She spent 11 days in the NICU. On January 4th 2023 she had an open heart surgery called the Glenn procedure. It was successful but her oxygen levels were not high and there was no answer to why she had another cath lab procedure 6 days after that to determine what was happening but we got no answers. Maya was able to go home on oxygen for about 2 months with pulmonary hypertension medication. She was on the medication for about a year. Today, she is off her medication and off of the oxygen. In about 1 year from now she will get her 3rd and final surgery called the Fontan procedure. Making her oxygen levels almost at 100%. In total, maya has had 4 procedures, 3 being cath labs and 1 being open heart. Maya is a happy, sweet and feisty little girl. She’s incredibly strong. She lives just like any other kid. She terrorizes her sisters and keeps up with their craziness! She’s our little firecracker."

Because of research, more babies and children with congenital heart defects are living into adulthood. But to ensure they live long, healthy lives, we need YOU! Join us for the country's premier walk series dedicated to funding congenital heart defect research. ❤️ http://chfwalk.org/

Meet Faith Brackett, a 28-year-old #HeartWarrior born with #HLHS. ❤ Faith shares: "I’ve had 8 open heart surgeries including being the first child to undergo what’s now known as the biventricular repair and now spend my life advocating and raising awareness for heart disease. One of the things that has always been the most important to me advocacy wise is empowering younger warriors. Growing up, I thought that I was literally one of the only people with HLHS. I never knew another person with it until I became an adult. We are so lucky now to have so many networks and resources available to us in the CHD community, but for me, I proudly show my scar on national pageant stages, photoshoots, and in day-to-day life to both share the story that it shows, but to also empower little warriors with the belief that no matter what obstacles CHD throws your way, you can do whatever you set your mind to and that you are UNSTOPPABLE!!"

“Being a mother to a kiddo with a significant medical condition means you never stop advocating and raising funds for a better tomorrow, for science that means they could possibly outlive you. When your kiddo is thriving, it looks from the outside like everything is normal. My constant wish is for many many many more years that look normal!” THIS is why we walk ❤ Register for a Congenital Heart Walk near you and help fund the groundbreaking research of tomorrow: http://chfwalk.org/

#MissionMonday On June 5, members of CHF staff had the privilege of visiting the Serpooshan Bauser-Heaton (SBH) Laboratories at Emory University to see the incredible research that is underway by Dr. Vahid Serpooshan and his team. This research includes 3D bioprinting of functional tissues, engineering a cardiac patch to save heart failure patients, 3D bioprinted models to study liver disease in fontan patients, and more. In 2022, Dr. Vahid Serpooshan received the Cortney Barnett Research Award through The Children’s Heart Foundation for his study, “A 3D Bioprinted Platform for Modeling and Treatment Planning of Hepatic Disorders in Fontan Patients”. Results from this study have created the first class of laboratory models of Fontan-associated liver disease that can find answers to several key questions in both diagnosis and treatment of these life-threatening injuries. We are so grateful to Dr. Serpooshan and his team for allowing us to see firsthand the incredible work that is being done. ❤🔬

It's time for summer FUNdraising! Help raise funds for congenital heart defect (#CHD) research by setting up a Lemonade Stand! Let your young fundraisers offer everyone’s favorite hot weather drink – a nice cold glass of lemonade in return for a donation to The Children's Heart Foundation! #FundraisingFriday Don't forget to take a picture and tag us so we can see the amazing fundraisers you're doing this summer!

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy 4th of July! ❤🤍💙

Dr. Keila Lopez is a Pediatric Cardiologist at Texas Children's Hospital whose research focuses on identifying healthcare disparities. ❤ She was featured in our 2023 Class of Extraordinary Women Leaders and is also a member of our Medical Advisory Council. She shares, "I fell in love with pediatric cardiology during my pediatric training, but dreamed of making a bigger impact for kids' health and found that passion through public health applications. My research interests focus on identifying healthcare disparities among minority and underserved children, particularly in the field of pediatric cardiology. Research in CHD affords the ability to merge pediatric cardiology, public health, and health policy in order highlight data and/or initiatives that can directly improve the health care of underserved populations. It allows for advocacy and promotion of health equity for all children with chronic disease through population-based epidemiologic projects, lifelong education, health promotion, interventions and policy development."