HEARTKIDS, the only charity dedicated to supporting Australians impacted by congenital heart disease, will take place for the first time in Frankston this year, on Sunday 13 October.
Two Feet & A Heartbeat is a moment for impacted families, bereaved parents and the broader community to raise awareness of Childhood-onset Heart Disease (CoHD), one of the largest causes of infant death in Australia, and which more than 80,000 Australians currently live with.
Held annually since 2014, the event will take place in more than 30 locations across Australia during the month of October. Participants will have a choice to walk four kilometres to pay tribute to the four lives lost to CoHD in Australia each week, or eight kilometres in recognition of the eight babies born with CoHD each day.
Everyone is welcomed to join in support of the HeartKids community, and to donate to registered participants, with all donations helping HeartKids to continue its mission to provide financial, psychological and practical support to Australian children and families living with CoHD.
The walk will start at the Ballam Park Primary School, with all participants invited to arrive from 10.30am. It will be followed by family-friendly activities, including face painting, balloon art, family photo snaps, or craft activities, and a barbecue, ice cream, coffee van and barbecue will be available. HeartKids encourages everyone to take part in the scenic walk, all while contributing to an important cause.
In Frankston, HeartKids ambassador Xander and his family will be walking on the day. Xander Curtis’s heart journey began before he was born when an abnormality was detected during mum Bibe’s 20-week scan. Referred on to a paediatric cardiologist two days later, parents Bibe and Ben were told Xander had Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) and would require surgery. Bibe reached out to HeartKids in these early days, where she found the resources and conversations comforting.
The day Xander was born, he was immediately taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care unit at Monash Hospital where the family spent the next 22 anxiety-filled days. Xander pulled through, and after a stressful and hard six month wait, he underwent emergency open heart surgery to repair his ToF – a surgery which took seven hours.
Xander made it through surgery successfully, but had a rough 18 days following in hospital due to complications resulting in a collapsed lung. The support of HeartKids at the hospital was the biggest help to his parents throughout their stay, making sure the family had someone to connect with, knowing where things were, and how things worked. They also provided goodie bags, a special gift for mothers day, and most importantly someone they could talk to.
During their stay at the Children’s Hospital, Xander’s parents realised that they were the lucky ones. Despite their difficult journey, Xander’ heart was fixable, and their stay was short in comparison to some. “We are so grateful for the amazing medical advancements we have here in Australia,” Says Bibe. “We got through it all thanks to the surgeon, our friends, family and HeartKids’ support.”
HeartKids CEO Marcus Sandmann says that “Bereaved families need all the support we can give them, and HeartKids’ mission is to do what we can to ease the burden on families following the tragic loss of a child”. “Two Feet & A Heartbeat is a moment for those families to come together and honour the memory of their Heart Angel with people who understand what they have been through. We thank the incredible community in Frankston for their precious and continued involvement and solidarity over the years, and hope to bring more impacted families the support and comfort they need.”
First published in the Frankston Times – 1 October 2024