Hearts that needs love.

It's Day 14 of 31 for 21...

Ds Fact - (source) The overall incidence of congenital heart disease in the general population is 0.8 percent. The incidence of congenital heart disease in children with Down syndrome is up to 50 percent.

The types of heart defects in children with Down syndrome can be broken down into three broad categories:

1. Atrioventricular septal defects 
2. Ventricular septal defect (VSD), atrial septal defect, or patent ductus arteriosus
3. Other complex heart disease

Atrioventricular septal defects (AV Canal) is greatly over-represented in these children, making up approximately 60 percent of the congenital heart disease found in Trisomy 21. For comparison, AV canals account for only 2.9 percent of the congenital heart defects in the general population.

Ventricular septal defects, atrial septal defects, and patent ductus arteriosus comprise another 20 percent of the congenital heart disease associated with Down syndrome, although these defects are much more common in the general population compared to AV canals.

Other complex congenital heart diseases including Tetralogy of Fallot andhypoplastic left heart syndrome comprise the rest of the heart disease seen in Trisomy 21.

In addition to the heart defects associated with Down Syndrome, isolated elevated blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension) is seen with higher frequency in patients with Down syndrome. This high pressure may be related to malformation of the lung tissue, although the exact cause is not known.

The higher pressures may limit the amount of blood flow to the lungs and therefore decrease the likelihood of symptoms of congestive heart failure seen in babies with complete AV canals or large ventricular septal defects.

However, since the pulmonary hypertension can become irreversible, particularly if these large holes are not surgically corrected by a year of age, children with Down syndrome and AV canals or large ventricular septal defects are often referred for surgery earlier than a non-Down syndrome child with the same heart defect.

If the baby does have evidence of high pressures in the lungs, it may complicate postoperative management and hence prolong the recovery time.

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Freeing God's Beautiful Butterflies: Heart Babies: "For some reason, kids with heart problems seem to capture my heart so fast...."

My dear friend Rachel has fallen in love with many children that need heart surgery. The thing is, these precious child need heart surgery, but unless it's extremely urgent, they aren't able to have it in their home country. And even if they do have surgery, they have to go through it without the love of a family.

Every child desperately needs a family, but these children have a special need. If they aren't adopted, and don't get the surgery they need, they will die, all alone, without the love of a family. Like Marlena did.

This sweet peanut had a family working to get her, but they couldn't get there fast enough. She needed urgent  surgery, and she died on the operating table.


Every single one of the children in Rachel's post above needs a family. They may need heart surgery. They need love. Lilly is one of these children. She needs surgery, and she needs a family. If she isn't adopted she will end up like Marlena. Except she might not even make it to the operating table.

Please consider adopting or spreading the word about one of these children... they are voiceless, no one is hearing their silent cries.

Be their voice.