January 9, 2025

Top 9 Children’s HeartLink Stories of 2024

2024 marked an incredible year of progress for Children’s HeartLink and our global partnerships.

There were almost too many milestone moments to count! These nine highlights represent just a fraction of the incredible work made possible by our donors and supporters this year, from lifesaving heart care trainings to inspiring new beginnings and impactful advocacy efforts designed to improve care for children with congenital heart disease (CHD) for years to come. As we prepare to kick off a new year in 2025, let’s celebrate all we’ve accomplished together.

Scroll through to view our top nine moments of 2024. If you’re inspired by these highlights, please join us in continuing to transform heart care for children in 2025.

WELCOMING NEWEST HOSPITAL PARTNERSHIP IN BRAZIL

In November, we announced our newest hospital partnership (our 5th in Brazil!) between Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia (INC) in Rio de Janeiro and the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio, USA. In Brazil, 28,000 children are diagnosed with CHD every year, and 85% lack access to the treatment they need to survive and thrive. Thanks to your support, INC is poised to grow its pediatric heart care program to reach more children with CHD and influence pediatric heart care throughout the country. The continued support of our donors enables the expansion of lifesaving partnerships like this one, bringing hope to children with CHD in Brazil and around the world.

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CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN INDIA HOSTS HEART CARE TRAINING FOR CLINICIANS FROM INDIA AND VIETNAM

Surgeons and perfusionists from several partner hospitals in India and Vietnam gathered at a Children’s HeartLink Center of Excellence for training in June. Amrita Hospital in Kochi, India hosted Dr. Mohan Reddy and perfusionist Clinton Jones from University of California San Francisco for training on best practices in complex neonatal surgery focusing on unifocalization. This training would not have been possible without the generosity of donors whose support grows hospital partners into Centers of Excellence that lead their regions in pediatric heart care.

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IMPACTFUL HOSPITAL TRAINING PLUS SYMPOSIUM WITH 100 ATTENDEES IN MALAYSIA

In the first Children’s HeartLink training of 2024, medical volunteers from Birmingham Children’s Hospital traveled to Sultan Idris Shah Hospital in Sepang, Malaysia. The agenda was packed with surgical cases, interventional catheterization lab work, workshops and a symposium attended by approximately 100 healthcare professionals! In Malaysia up to 3,000 children require heart surgery every year. Most don’t get the care they need because there are too few pediatric cardiac programs and long waiting lists. We are committed to working with local providers to strengthen diagnostic and treatment capacity in Malaysia and beyond. Because of the generosity of our supporters, we can continue working toward a future where every child with CHD can receive timely and effective heart care.

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IMPLEMENTING IMPACTFUL PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS IN VIETNAM

In October, National Children’s Hospital (NCH in Hanoi trained with volunteers from University of California San Francisco (UCSF) on advanced surgical techniques and pediatric echocardiography. The visit also featured junior physician-led case discussions and nurse-to-nurse teaching on complex heart defects. During the visit, the teams celebrated progress made by NCH, as the hospital successfully implemented an operating room to intensive care unit handover process they observed while visiting UCSF in 2023. This partnership has made great progress since it began in 2017! The contributions we receive from supporters fuel the growth of our partners in Vietnam, so they can implement practices like this to improve outcomes for children with heart disease.

UK VISIT ENHANCES PEDIATRIC HEART CARE FOR BANGLADESH HEART CARE CLINICIANS

Children’s HeartLink facilitated an impactful volunteer hospital visit in May that brought together medical professionals from our partner hospital National Heart Foundation and Research Institute in Bangladesh with their volunteer hospital team at Leeds Children’s Hospital in the UK. The two teams began working with each other in 2022. This collaboration showcases the power of partnerships and the generosity of our supporters, who make such impactful exchanges possible.

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GENEROUS HEARTS UNITE AT GLOBAL GATHERING

Our Global Gathering in October overflowed 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. Among the distinguished guests at this year’s Children’s HeartLink Global Gathering was Dr. Raju Vijayakumar, chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at our hospital partner in Coimbatore India. 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 generosity of attendees and supporters provided essential support to the core of our mission.

AFRICA CHILDREN’S HEART INITIATIVE ANNOUNCED

This new global initiative aims to partner with local leaders, pediatric cardiac care professionals, and Children’s HeartLink Centers of Excellence like Hospital da Criança e Maternidade (HCM) in Brazil. A team from HCM traveled to Angola in September to provide support in designing a framework and roadmap for a training center in a low-resource environment. Initiatives like this are only possible because of our committed supporters.

CELEBRATING SUCCESS AS MEDTRONIC FOUNDATION PARTNERSHIP WRAPS

Over three years, the $2.5 million Medtronic Foundation partnership helped Children’s HeartLink achieve significant milestones in health equity, innovation and sustainable growth in India, Brazil, China and Vietnam. Successes included providing heart surgery for 11,819 children and training 10,540 clinicians, giving children with CHD the opportunity to survive and thrive by further reducing disparities in access to quality heat care. We are grateful to Medtronic Foundation and all our corporate and foundation partnerships that provide vital support to make our mission possible.

ADVOCATING FOR CHILDREN WITH CHD AT THE 77th WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY

Children’s HeartLink traveled to Geneva, Switzerland to join 2024 World Health Assembly (WHA) events, meet with governments and raise the profile of CHD. We hosted our first WHA side event, urged governments to take action to ensure life-long care for all people living with CHD and cheered the passage of a new Maternal and Child Health Resolution that for the first time calls out the needs to address congenital anomalies like CHD in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The voices of our supporters amplify our advocacy efforts, ensuring governments prioritize care for children with CHD worldwide. Donate now to support our global advocacy initiatives.