Today is a very special day at Flora & Fauna. Our beautiful boy, Woody turns 2! It's been a wonderful 2 years with our little dude with lots of giggles, big milestones, a new little brother and plenty of smiles! Woody has brought joy to so many people and when he makes some special appearances on our social media we always receive the most beautiful messages from his fan base!
Woody's birthday wish this year is to give $1 from every order placed today (Feb 19th) to HeartKids. HeartKids is the only national not-for-profit organisation in Australia solely focused on supporting and advocating for all people impacted by childhood heart disease, one of the largest causes of infant death in Australia with over four precious lives being lost each week. Every 3 hours a baby is born with congenital heart disease and over 65,000 Australians are living with congenital heart disease today.
Why have we chosen HeartKids? We want to help other children like Woody who have a heart condition and bring awareness to the amazing work they do.
Atrial Septal Defect
Most of you know that Woody has Down Syndrome and that is very much part of his special little personality and what makes him Woody! What you might not know is that he also has an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), a congenital heart defect where he was born with a little hole in the walls of his heart and some other heart issues that mummy refers to as 'funky plumbing'!
Congenital Heart Defects are rare, but common among children with Down Syndrome, in fact, about 50% of infants with Down syndrome have some form of heart condition. With proper care and early intervention, kids with heart defects will live a happy and healthy life.
Woody will need surgery
Some ASDs are small and close up on their own. Some need surgery and, if not treated, the person can suffer heart and lung issues. Woody is in the latter camp and needs to have surgery.
This will happen in the next year or two and it's a big surgery so very stressful for family. Woody's surgery will be planned but a lot of babies and children need to have surgery in an unplanned and urgent manner. In both these circumstances, HeartKids can really help.
What do HeartKids do?
HeartKids provide support in-hospital and home support for families who have a kiddy with a heart issue, just like Woody.
HeartKids offer peer-to-peer non-clinical support and imformation. It is important to be a listening ear for parents and extended family, often separated by distance and circumstance. They also assist by providing emergency care bags, food parcels, some financial assistance, referrals to Allied health professionals, and specific medical equipment when required. They connect families together so they feel less alone in their journey. Often the heart kids make life long friends as they connect with some else "like them".
HeartKids' Goals
HeartKids’ goal in 2021 is to increase access to support services and programs across Australia, with a particular focus on those living in isolated communities or regional areas like Hervey Bay.
They seek to give every CHD child a fighting chance of leading a long and fulfilling life and achieving their goals.
Thank you to everyone who places an order today and if you'd like to make a bigger donation you can also do this on their website. Thanks for helping support Woody and other beautiful children with congenital heart defects.
Update: We raised $1500 for HeartKids! Woody's birthday wish really did come true this year. Thanks to you placing your orders on Friday we raised $1407 so we decided to top that up to $1500 - a huge, huge thank you! That doesn't include the many, many people who have donated directly! This amount will go directly to HeartKids who help support kids with heart defects just like our little Woody.
We give to a few local charities and good causes, but this one is particularly close to our hearts. Place an order today and you'll be helping lots of kids and their families. You can read stories, join the community and even seek support by visiting the HeartKids website.
