The FACTS:

– A child is born with a congenital heart defect every 15 seconds.

– There is no cure for congenital heart disease.

– The life expectancy for those born with moderately complex heart defects is 55, while the estimated life expectancy for those born with highly complex defects is between 35 and 40.

– Cardiovascular disease is the second leading cause of death for children 15 and under.

– Despite the prevalence and seriousness of the disease, federal research, data collection, education, and awareness activities are limited

One of the ways that Mended Little Hearts supports families is through care bags that are sent to families when their child is in the hospital. Currently, there is not a hospital in the Richmond area that performs heart surgery on children with serious heart conditions. As a result often these children are taken by helicopter or ambulance to an out-of-town hospital for surgery or other necessary procedures. The parents of these children typically have no advance notice that they will need to go to a hospital out-of-town and they don’t have anything other than the clothes they are wearing and the items in their pockets and purses. Mended Little Hearts tries to provide some items that will help them by sending them care bags. We need donations of travel-sized toiletry items and other items such as:

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These care bags help to ease the emotional and financial burden on these families at a time when they are not near their immediate support system that would normally help them through this situation. There is incredible comfort and healing for these families in just knowing someone cares and they are not alone.

If you would like to donate any of these items, please contact us at centralva@mendedlittlehearts.org

Sincerely,
Mended Little Hearts of Central Virginia