Facts and Figures

• 1 in 100 children are born with a heart condition
• 6 babies are born every day in Australia with a heart condition.
• More children die from congenital heart disease than all childhood cancers combined.
• Heart disease is the most common reason for a child being admitted to an intensive care unit.
• More than half of all heart conditions in children require ongoing medication or surgical intervention.
• At this stage, some cannot be repaired.

Commonly Asked Questions

1. Where are the children from my community who have heart disease treated?
   All children with heart disease are treated in your Children’s Hospital in your capital city.
   
   
2. Why is childhood heart disease an important issue?
   Because it is the most common birth abnormality and with 1 in 100 children born with a heart condition, there are children and families in every community who are affected.
   
   
3. Why are we fundraising for the Australian & New Zealand Children’s Heart Research Centre?
   Research into childhood heart disease is vital to enable less invasive surgical and investigative techniques to be developed and to enable these children the opportunity of experience a long life.
   
   
4. How can this help these children?
   Improved techniques means shorter stays in hospital and less trauma for the children. In some cases it will mean successful repairs being performed with ‘keyhole’ surgery rather than open-heart surgery.

6 Babies were born today with heart disease

Thank you for supporting Heartkids! Children with heart disease show great courage, strength and tenacity and we at Heartkids are inspired to do the same. Thank you for sharing our journey and selling our smiley heart products so that heart children live a long and healthy life.