Heart children are often small for their age and those who have surgery will have physical scars, but in other respects, it may not be obvious that they have a health condition. Whatever challenges they face, with interruptions to the usual childhood activities of playing and spending time with friends, going to school, going on holiday, growing up and looking forward to the future – heart children often talk about how they want to be treated like other children. And with good planning, support and creative thinking, heart children can share in the range of activities most of us take for granted.

If you require any help or support please contact us or Young at Hearts private facebook page (3) Young at Heart - Support group for Heart families at BCH | Facebook

• CHD = Congenital Heart Defect
• In the UK one in 125 babies will be born with a CHD
• CHD is the most common congenital anomaly
• Every day in the UK, 12 babies will be diagnosed with a CHD, more than half will require Open Heart Surgery within the first few days of being born at the point the heart is the size of a walnut
• In the UK more than 6000 babies each year will be born with a CHD
• Around 1000 newborns leave hospital each year with a undetected CHD
• In around 33% of cases, the CHD is detected prenatally
• 300 infants die from CHD in the UK every year
• CHD accounts for up to 12% of all infant deaths - 1 in 10