Congenital heart defects are common and deadly, yet research is grossly under-funded relative to the

Of every dollar the government spends on medical funding only a fraction of a penny is directed toward CHD research. In the United States, twice as many children die from congenital heart defects each year than from all forms of childhood cancer combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHDs.

Even with the small amount of funding from the federal government combined with efforts from groups like The Children’s Heart Foundation, much progress is being made, but it is nowhere near where it needs to be. In two weeks, Matt and I will be heading to Washington D.C. for the 2015 Congenital Heart Legislative Conference. We will be spending the first day learning to advocate for CHD research funding and the next day on Capitol Hill sharing Sadie’s story with our legislators to help convince them to support the much-needed government funding for CHD research. My broken heart can never be fixed, but with increased funding for research, there is hope for the hearts of thousands of kids living and yet to be born with a CHD.