Our Amazing Heart Heroes

Heart defects are present at birth, which means our heart survivors are not only grown men and women but boys and girls, infants and newborns. Our heart heroes, their families and their heart specialists are some of the most amazing people you'll ever meet. Our families come from all over Florida and South Georgia, and points beyond. We come from all walks of life. We speak different languages, eat different foods, worship different gods, play different sports, live different lives. But one thing brings us together and makes us family — we have all been affected by congenital heart disease and we are living and thriving every day because we have each other to lean on. 

Heart Defects are Most Common Type of Birth Defect
Although we hear a lot about acquired heart disease (coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, etc.),  not many people know that congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect — more common than any other birth defect, including cleft lip and palate, club foot, spina bifida, and others. The American Heart Association has one of the most comprehensive website sections dedicated to congenital heart disease.

Pregnant women routinely have prenatal screenings for neural tube defects (such as spina bifida) and chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome. However, even though babies are more likely to have a heart defect than any other kind of birth defect, they are not routinely screened for heart anomalies (unless the mother-to-be is of "advanced maternal age," or older than 35).

Facts about Congenital Heart Defects
Consider this:
  • An average of 1 in 100 babies is born with a congenital heart defect (CHD).
  • Congenital heart defects are the No. 1 cause of birth-defect-related deaths.
  • Congenital heart defects are the leading cause of all infant deaths in the United States.
  • More than half of those with a CHD will need at least one invasive surgery in their lifetime.
  • Of the 35,000 babies born with a CHD, about 3,500 — or 10% — of them will die before their first birthday.
  • Twice as many children die each year from complications of CHD than from all forms of childhood cancer combined. Yet, funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHD.
  • People with congenital heart defects need lifelong care from a pediatric/congenital heart cardiologist, who specializes in congenital heart disease. (Typical adult cardiologists are not always the best choice for congenital heart care.)
Treatments are Advancing
There are an estimated 1.5 to 2 million adult CHD survivors in the United States. Now more than ever, people with congenital heart disease are living longer, more active, more normal lives.
  • For the first time ever, more than 50% of the CHD survivors are adults.
  • About 10% of all CHD cases evaluated in an adult congenital heart clinic are first diagnosed in adulthood — that means there are adults walking around today who have undiagnosed congenital heart defects.
  • Advances in treatment and care make it possible for patients to undergo less invasive procedures than open-heart surgery.
Sources: The Children's Heart Foundation, American Heart Association, March of Dimes 

For More Information

For more information about Broken Hearts and to find out if there are BHBB families in your area, contact us:
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