Record turnout for annual charity walk to support families dealing with childhood-onset heart disease

A record number of families came together to support HeartKids’ annual Two Feet & A Heartbeat walk in Perth on Sunday, raising funds to support people dealing with or suffering from childhood-onset heart disease.

The annual event raises money to increase accessibility to the charity’s support services and programs in hospitals and communities provided by survivors’ families and bereaved individuals.

Eight babies are born with CoHD every day in Australia. And four young people lose their lives every week.

Fundraising and events coordinator Shelley Ure said about 1,000 people descended on Burswood Park for the march and about $120,000 was raised before the march began.

“I can see it rising,” Ms. Ure said.

“This is our biggest event yet. It was amazing.”

Tegan Paulo fought back tears as she described how much the charity had helped her family in their darkest hours after her son Archer was diagnosed with a 7mm ventricular septal defect (a hole in his heart) when he was just six weeks old.

Ms Paulo said she and her husband, Urban, felt “broken”.

“This sucks for everyone, but when it comes to kids it’s 10 times worse,” he said.

Archer had open-heart surgery to repair the hole when he was just four months old.

And now, at nine years old, she was all smiles as she officially opened the parade.

He is planning his future; He runs his own reptile park and also runs a fresh juice business.

“It’s already doing great things,” Ms. Paulo said, adding that “HeartKids is what brought us this success.”

“They’re always there for everything: chatting, hugging,” she said.

“They understand. They are very special people.”

Australian managers star and charity ambassador Mitch McGovern said he was amazed by the turnout for the walk and touched by the tributes to young people who had lost their battles with CoHD.

He became involved after a friend of his in the Albany neighborhood where he grew up died of heart disease at the age of 18.

“Seeing him go through the things he had to go through was something I took note of the support HeartKids gave,” the Blues defender said.

“I’m just trying to help spread the word.”

Ms Ure said the park was the perfect place for it, with people cycling and passing stopping to ask what the event was about.

He said that after the devastating shock of the diagnoses, families who used the services returned every year and wanted to give back.

“The support work we do makes a big difference,” he said.

The charity started in 1979 and is the only one of its kind in Australia.