Generous Hearts Come Together to Transform Pediatric Heart Care at the 2024 Children’s HeartLink Global Gathering

The Global Gathering on October 25, 2024 was overflowing with heart-filled generosity, immense gratitude and the tangible energy of nearly 500 supporters – the largest attendance since 2019. The evening was a celebration of our lifesaving mission.

Because of gifts made by supporters like you during the event, Children’s HeartLink can continue to lead training and mentoring partnerships that save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children with congenital heart disease (CHD).

If this sounds like a lofty dream, it’s not. Our hospital partners in Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Malaysia and Vietnam reached 196,000 children with CHD in 2024 alone. (Total lives impacted is a figure from Children’s HeartLink’s Fiscal Year 2024.)

Global impact, local hearts

Childrens-HeartLink-Global-Gathering-2024-Dr-Raju-Vijayakumar-with-staff-and-volunteers — Dr. Vijayakumar with Children’s HeartLink staff and volunteers

Among the distinguished guests was Dr. Raju Vijayakumar, chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at G. Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial (GKNM) Hospital in Coimbatore India, a Children’s HeartLink hospital partner. He was joined onstage by Dr. Grace Arteaga, pediatric intensivist from Mayo Clinic, dedicated Children’s HeartLink volunteer and recipient of the 2024 Children’s HeartLink Founders Award.

The two had a powerful conversation with the evening’s emcee Vineeta Sawkar, WCCO AM Morning News host, about the heart of our mission: saving children’s lives by transforming pediatric heart care in underserved parts of the world.This work is being accomplished through multi-year training partnerships between world-renowned medical institutions and heart care teams at over 20 hospital partners worldwide.

Lifesaving partnerships transform pediatric heart care

Childrens-HeartLink-Global-Gathering-2024-Host-Vineeta-Sawkar-Interviews-Dr-Grace-Arteaga-Dr-Raju-Vijayakumar — Host Vineeta Sawkar interviews Dr. Arteaga and Dr. Vijayakumar

These partnerships, like the one Dr. Vijayakumar and Dr. Arteaga participate in between GKNM Hospital and Mayo Clinic, equip heart care teams in countries where they’re needed to save children’s lives. Currently, the specialized heart care required to treat CHD is unavailable to 90% of children born with a heart defect. Too many children are dying preventable deaths.

The 2024 Global Gathering raised funds to support these lifesaving partnerships. Guests were among the first to see a video featuring a teenager who had her heart repaired by Dr. Vijayakumar. He and his team at GKNM Hospital performed over 400 heart surgeries last year alone and are continuing to build skills to provide care to more children.

“Getting [the] opportunity to go work with the superheroes of congenital heart surgery in the best of the world and come back and reproduce the same result with the limited resources. It make[s] me feel very happy,” said Dr. Vijayakumar in the video. “I made [an] impact on somebody else’s life.”

In the video, the teenage heart warrior and her family share how their anxiety surrounding surgery lessened after Dr. Vijayakumar explained how he would correct her complex heart defect, an Ebstein Anomaly. Dr. Vijayakumar learned how to surgically correct this defect through the Children’s HeartLink partnership, working with volunteers from the Mayo Clinic including cardiac heart surgeon Dr. Joseph Dearani.

This heart warrior is now thriving after her surgery. She is grateful for the heart care she received at GKNM Hospital and continues her studies and dancing with friends.

“Thank you for looking after me so well,” she said. “Thank you for giving me the courage. Let others like me also receive the same care as me.”

Childrens-HeartLink-Global-Gathering-2024-MN-Apsaras — Bollywood fusion dancers MN-Apsaras had the crowd up and dancing on their feet

Generosity fuels action, saves lives

Childrens-HeartLink-Global-Gathering-2024-Dr-Ken-Stein-Dr-Maria-Macuare-Gorden-from-Boston-Scientific-On-Stage — Dr. Stein and Dr. Macuare-Gorden from Presenting Sponsor Boston Scientific deliver remarks about the lifesaving work of Children’s HeartLink

Dr. Ken Stein and Dr. Maria Macuare-Gorden from presenting sponsor Boston Scientific shared their belief that educating and enabling local providers is essential for sustainable healthcare improvement.

More than 40 companies, foundations and individuals joined Boston Scientific in stepping up to sponsor the 2024 Children’s HeartLink Global Gathering including platinum sponsors Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation, Medtronic and UnitedHealth Group. See the full list of sponsors.

During the event, Children’s HeartLink announced the Armitage Family Fund for Cardiology Training, dedicated to supporting cardiologists and providing impactful training worldwide. The fund was established to honor and recognize longtime board member, donor and advocate for Children’s HeartLink, Tom Armitage.

Childrens-HeartLink-Global-Gathering-2024-Tom-Armitage-on-stage — Tom Armitage on stage at the Global Gathering

With immense gratitude, we thank all Global Gathering guests and supporters for their caring hearts. The night’s energy was evident in their generosity – and on the ballroom floor as Bollywood fusion dancers MN-Apsaras had the crowd up and dancing on their feet. The evening was truly a celebration of the possibilities we’re creating together for children with CHD through this lifesaving work.