Gateway College to organize ‘Walk from the Heart’

Congenital heart disease is a major killer in children under five years of age. For every 1000 newborn babies in Sri Lanka, 6-8 are born with congenital heart disease. It is estimated that 2,500-3,000 children are born with congenital heart disease every year in Sri Lanka. Most of them will need either surgical or catheter based treatment within the first year of their life. Unless treated in a timely manner some of them will not live to see their first birthday and a majority will die before they reach adulthood.

Currently, more than 90% of children with congenital and acquired heart diseases in Sri Lanka are treated at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRH). The cardiac program at LRH was initiated in 2007 and has expanded rapidly over the past few years. Currently, they perform approximately 650 catheter based interventions and 900 cardiac surgeries every year. However, this is not adequate to clear the long waiting list as there are thousands of children awaiting surgery.

The Children’s Heart Project was set up as a private sector initiative to help save Sri Lankan children with heart diseases. Their aim is to increase the number of successful children’s heart operations performed annually and ultimately to eliminate the long waiting list. They do this primarily by supporting the cardiac program at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital. In their effort to support this program, they have provided financial support to construct and to refurbish certain areas of the cardiac complex and purchased medical equipment and consumables whenever it is needed.

Gateway College Colombo will be organizing a walk titled “Walk from the Heart” to raise awareness on heart diseases of children and also to support the ongoing projects of the Children’s Heart Project by raising much needed funds to obtain equipment and build infrastructure required by the LRH.

Walk from the Heart by Gateway College will be held on 25th July, 2015 commencing at 7.30 am. The Walk will proceed from the premises of LRH on Maradana Road (opposite Aquinas Campus) and conclude at the school premises in Rajagiriya. Over 1,000 students from 4 to 18 years of age and many parents will lend their support to this walk by raising funds to save lives and raising awareness among the community about the plight of children ailing with heart diseases.

This is in keeping with the Gateway philosophy of molding young children to grow up to be caring individuals who will give back to society as concerned and responsible citizens.