SPOTLIGHT PARTNER FOR OCTOBER 2021

LITTLE HEART WARRIORS

Little Heart Warriors was created by a group of mothers with children with severe Congenital Heart Defects(CHD). We want to share our stories with others and educate our community, as well as pay it forward to help as many families during their own journey with Congenital Heart Disease as possible.

A congenital heart defect (CHD), also known as a congenital heart anomaly or congenital heart disease, is a problem in the structure of the heart that is present at birth. Signs and symptoms depend on the specific type of problem. Symptoms can vary from none to life-threatening. When present they may include rapid breathing, bluish skin, poor weight gain, and feeling tired. It does not cause chest pain. Most congenital heart problems do not occur with other diseases. Complications that can result from heart defects include heart failure.

Heart defects are the most common birth defect. In 2015 they were present in 48.9 million people globally. They affect between 4 and 75 per 1,000 live births depending upon how they are diagnosed. About 6 to 19 per 1,000 cause a moderate to severe degree of problems. Congenital heart defects are the leading cause of birth defect-related deaths. In 2015 they resulted in 303,300 deaths down from 366,000 deaths in 1990.

Little Heart Warriors events will donate the proceeds to families at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital’s Paediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. LLUCH’s mission is to continue the healting ministry of Christ, focusing on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of children and their families. Also, they seek to enhance the lives of our community’s children by delivering the promise of a healthier future today. With 40,000 CHD babies born each year, CHD is the #1 birth defect in the United States.

Mission
To provide support both financial and emotional, for families of children diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, and pediatric patients in need of a heart transplant. Our goal is to provide assistance to families with extra costs incurred while caring for their affected child. These costs include but are not limited to: travel expenses to and from medical facilities, food expenses while away from home, along with care and lodging expenses while receiving care.