Drawing the focus in awareness of Congenital Heart Disease Week
February has arrived; the hearts are flowing through the aisles at the stores, thoughts of love are flooding the commercials on the airwaves and hearts are a common theme as Valentine’s Day approaches. However, there is more to February than merely Valentine’s Day celebrations; February is also American Heart Month and more specifically Feb. 7 is National Wear Red Day to raise awareness for cardiovascular disease. In addition to National Wear Red Day, Feb. 7 kicks off Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) Awareness Week, wrapping up on Valentine’s Day. While CHD Awareness is not a hot topic, it is a focus of one local family this year, as the past year has brought challenges they never imagined.
“Raising awareness for CHD is important … 1 in 100 babies are born with a heart defect,” Charlsie Godwin, Salvation Army Lieutenant said. “However, there are many like our family who have no idea until its possibly too late.”
According to information from the American Heart Association, CHD is the world’s most common birth defect and affects 1.35 million infants worldwide on an annual basis. In another perspective, one child every 15 minutes is affected. As February rolls in the opportunity arises to raise awareness through personal testimony. “Congenital Heart Disease takes the lives of more children than any other defect or illness combined each year. Many infants require life saving surgery within the first year of life,” Godwin said.
While the defect may not have made its way to the main spotlight just yet, the impact it has on millions of families each year is very real. The Godwin’s recently traveled down this road and now have a new desire to help raise awareness and let other families know they are