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HEARTFELT: Whyalla Mayor Lyn Breuer (fifth from right) with some of the children and families helped by HeartKids.
As we enter 2018, HeartKids confirmed its continuing support for local families dealing with childhood heart disease when it held a Christmas Party in Whyalla.
With more than 100 people coming to Whyalla for the party from throughout the Eyre Peninsula and as far as away as Roxby Downs and Adelaide, it was a great chance for those affected by childhood heart disease to connect and find out in person about the support HeartKids provides.
Whyalla Mayor Lyn Breuer attended the event and was full of praise for the organisation and the work it does for children and families in Whyalla.
“There are many families in Whyalla and throughout the Eyre Peninsula who deal with childhood heart disease on a daily basis,” Mayor Breuer said.
“HeartKids is a wonderful help, in such a hard time for regional families''
HeartKids Regional Support Coordinator, Nicole Carter praised the City of Whyalla for its support, and a donation, and personally thanked Mayor Breuer for attending.
“Many of the families that attended the party are quite isolated so it was a great opportunity for them to connect with other families going through a similar journey and get the chance to also talk to the Mayor,” Nicole said.
“The Mayor has a real appreciation of what we do and the families appreciated her time and the chance to talk with her about the issues they face.
“As surgery is not performed in South Australia, our families need to relocate to Melbourne in order for their child to have life-saving open heart surgery which could be anywhere from three weeks to months.
“Some of our families have spent nearly a year in Melbourne as some conditions require their child to have 3 or more open heart surgeries in the first year of life. Which puts a huge strain on families when they live in cities like ours and remote areas.”
There were not only families and children currently dealing with childhood heart disease at the party, HeartKids was able to support families in their pregnancy that have been diagnosed with a heart disease.
“We had a little girl from the Eyre Peninsula at the party who has spent the last 10 months in Melbourne hospital having many open heart surgeries,” Nicole said.
“There were also teenagers who attended who have spent a great time in hospital and parents who attended who will soon need everyone’s support as they prepare to take their tiny baby to Melbourne for open heart surgery in early January.
“This event shows everyone what great support there is out there for what can be a daunting time.”
HeartKids is the only national profit for purpose charity dedicated to supporting children, teens and adults affected by congenital/childhood heart disease all across Australia. It also helps fund life-saving research, provide information and advocate for these families’ needs.
The Whyalla HeartKids party was held in the Ada Ryan Gardens with special visitors and the Angel Hearts Tree which remembers children lost through heart disease.
Anyone looking for support in dealing with childhood heart disease can call the HeartKids Helpline on 1800 432 785 or visit the website https://www.heartkids.org.au/ where you can also make a donation.
