We, the Heart 4 Heart Charity, are sponsoring these two beautiful children, Gia and Carl, who live in the Philippines.

Gia is only 5 months old, and Carl is only 2 years old. Every dollar raised will be directly used to provide them with the life-saving treatments they need for their congenital heart defects (CHD). If we generate any excess funds will always go towards our next sponsor child in the future.

Gia will be getting an interventional catheterization procedure to treat her Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). We will raise the $2,500 USD (~$3,418 CAD) required to cover the costs of this treatment.

Carl will be getting a diagnostic catheterization procedure to help treat his CHD. We will be raising the $1,000 USD (~$1367) required to cover the costs of this treatment.

Link to our Charity's Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/nHj32MNEQho

Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the #1 birth defect worldwide, occurring in ~3% of all live births. This means that approximately 4 million children are born with CHD every year, and without treatment, it is often considered a death sentence. CHD presents as a structural and functional defect of the heart that can range in severity and symptoms: such as shortness of breath, cyanosis, fainting, heart murmurs, underdeveloped muscles and growth, or respiratory infections. While CHD is treated immediately after birth in Canada and in most developed nations, many children with CHD in developing countries are often faced with health inequities and are unable to access adequate medical care.

Formed in 2013, Heart 4 Heart is a student-run, non-profit organization driven by a mission to provide life-saving cardiac interventions and surgeries for children in various developing countries born with congenital heart defects. Working with our partners at Gift of Life International (https://www.giftoflifeinternational.org), who facilitate crucial surgical missions around the world, we are able to dedicate all of our proceeds directly towards treating children with CHD. A key distinguishing aspect of our charity is that we operate on the basis of fundraising for one child at a time. We currently have several chapters across Canada, based in local universities campuses in Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, London, Ottawa, Kingston, and Halifax. We believe that promoting directness and eliminating anonymity renders enhanced personal responsibility and clarity of operations.

For more information about our charity and to read the full profiles for Gia and Carl, please visit https://www.heart4heart.ca