Heart Kids SC offers families CPR course

A street fundraising appeal, a resuscitation training session and a memorial are some of the events helping to mark Heart Kids Awareness Week in South Canterbury.

Heart Kids South Canterbury local family support worker Nicky Merritt said the charity supported families whose children were born with heart conditions.

Each year about eight babies were likely to be born with a heart defect in South Canterbury, one of the most common conditions affecting newborns, she said.

The week of events kicked off on Sunday with a memorial for families whose children had died from heart conditions.

About 20 people, including family members and members of the charity’s committee, released red balloons from Timaru’s Piazza, with each balloon carrying a personal message.

The memorial was important for families as the loss of a child ‘‘never goes away’’, she said.

Charity volunteers would also hitting the streets of Timaru, Temuka and Waimate on Friday and Saturday, to collect donations.

The charity was also holding a training session to teach families to resuscitate a child at Timaru’s Red Cross rooms between 9am and 11am on Saturday.

Merritt said the charity was footing the $700 to $800 bill so 25 people could learn the basics of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

‘‘One family have had to actually use it, they found their wee one not breathing, they performed CPR and brought it back, it’s reassuring for the families that they can find out what to do.’’