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'Don't Save Money, Save Lives'--Congenital Heart Disease campaign
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4/28/2010 |
Office of Communications |
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media@aub.edu.lb |
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[L-R] Ghandour Atallah, Khalifeh, Labaki and Bitar
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"With the significant number of children born with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) and the importance of this issue, the colossal job accomplished by the Brave Heart Fund is worth supporting," said Health Minister Mohammad Jawad Khalifeh at the Brave Heart Fund press conference held at the Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel on April 19, 2010. The conference launched the fifth annual awareness campaign by the Brave Heart Fund in cooperation with the Children's Heart Center at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). In addition to its fund-raising activities, the Brave Heart Fund launches a campaign each year to bring attention to the devastating impact of congenital heart defects on infants, children, teens and their families, and to raise awareness of the need for more education, support services, research funding, and enhancement of standards of care for CHD patients.
This year's campaign highlights the fact that with proper treatment, up to 98 percent of children born with congenital heart disease can recover and lead normal, healthy lives. | The importance of awareness is reflected in the numbers; in Lebanon alone, more than 700 babies are diagnosed with heart disease every year. About 400 of these children will need some form of treatment, either surgical intervention or non-surgical procedures. If left untreated 70 percent of these children will not survive; however, the Brave Heart Fund has seen an enormous growth in the number of patients it has been able to help since it was established in 2003.
Joumana Ghandour Atallah, a founding member of the fund, reported that in 2009, 248 surgeries were covered, compared to 195 surgeries in 2008 -- a 25 percent increase in just one year. | Dr. Fadi Bitar, Brave Heart Fund founding member and director of the Children's Heart Center at AUB, explained that the survival rates at the Children's Heart Center can be compared to those of the most advanced centers in the world, due to the highly specialized medical team and the advanced clinical services available. "For very complex cases, world-renowned pediatric cardiology surgeons visit the center every few months."
Bitar also pointed out that the center is among the few in the world also conducting research on congenital heart disease with international funding, leading to prevention and early intervention. | Film director Nadine Labaki said her engagement with the Brave Heart Fund was a strong belief that civil society has an important role to play in joining efforts to support the treatment of CHD.
The fund assists patients from all locations in Lebanon, and many international patients living in Lebanon and the region, and, working with very low overheads, has been able to ensure that no needy patient is turned away. | However, more can always be done. Events for 2010 include a Gala Dinner in Beirut on May 10, 2010 and another fundraiser in Riyadh on November 3, 2010.
This year two special Lebanese individuals have pledged to support the Brave Heart Fund in their own way. mountain climber Ralph Baz and desert runner Ali Wehbe have both volunteered to raise the fund's profile through sports events around the world. Ali Wehbe was present at a press conference just a few hours before leaving for Australia to participate in the 250 km race, Racing the Planet Australia 2010. He will dedicate his run to the Brave Heart Fund.
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