According to the March of Dimes, congenital heart defects are the #1 birth defect. In the US alone, over 25,000 babies are born each year with a congenital heart defect. That translates to 1 out of every 115 to 150 births. (To put those numbers into perspective, only 1 in every 800 to 1,000 babies is born with Downs Syndrome.)

In the last 30 years, advances in treatment of heart defects have enabled nearly 1 million U.S. children with significant heart defects to survive into adulthood.  Half the children who require surgical repair of a heart defect now undergo surgery before age two.  Despite these advances, more research is needed.  One goal of The Braveheart Foundation is help support cutting-edge research and awareness regarding the prevalence of congenital heart defects.  The costs of the surgeries and medical care for children with CHD is staggering, and can place an enormous amount of financial burden on the families.   Another goal of The Braveheart Foundation is to reduce the burden placed on these families by directly supporting them through financial assistance with medical bills and other related expenses.