A SUPERHERO dress up day took on special meaning for a Frankston family last week. The Hero for HeartKids day was held on 14 June, with students encouraged to dress up as their favourite superheroes to raise money for families impacted by childhood onset heart disease.
One of those families is the Curtis family from Frankston. Parents Bibe and Ben Curtis were preparing to welcome their son Xander into the world when they were told of an abnormality during their 20-week scan. They were referred to a paediatric cardiologist two days later, where they were told their child had Tetralogy of Fallot and would require surgery.
After Xander was born he was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care unit at Monash Hospital, where he spent the next 22 days. Six months after that he underwent a seven-hour-long open heart surgery to repair his ToF. Xander Curtis spent 18 days in hospital post-surgery due to complications resulting in a collapsed lung. While there, the family was supported by HeartKids with information sheets, goodie bags, and company.
HeartKids is an Australian not-for-profit. Its CEO Marcus Sandmann said he hopes to raise $350,000 through the Hero campaign in 2024. “Our Heart kids and their families are incredibly courageous in the face of childhood onset heart disease. They are the real heroes who we wish to celebrate in this important campaign,” he said.
“By dressing up as superheroes, we’re not only spreading joy and positivity but also raising crucial funds to support families facing the challenges of CoHD. Every donation counts towards the important work HeartKids does to provide support for those battling CoHD, and fund much-needed research to better understand the disease. “Everyone battling heart disease is already a superhero, and we encourage all Australians to join us for the day to become real-life superheroes for HeartKids and their families.”
To donate visit hero4heartkids.org.au.