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Brand New Baby
Here is an updated picture of Landon Barineau at 4 months old.
Community involvement
Broken Hearts of the Big Bend
Supporting families affected by congenital heart disease
Based on the premise “a good exercise for the heart is to bend down and help another up,” Broken Hearts of the Big Bend’s mission is simple: Families reach out to other families who are affected by congenital heart disease and offer a supportive and comfortable place to talk about their children. They celebrate their children’s lives and triumphs, and offer understanding, comfort and hope. BHBB connects families to share experiences and give support. And, it raises awareness about the frequency of congenital heart defects (1 out of 85 children is born with CHD), and the affects they have on their survivors and families.
Co-founders Karen Thurston Chavez and Kim Rooks, both of Tallahassee, established BHBB in June 2006 for families affected by CHD. Chavez’s son, William, has partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (scimitar syndrome), and Rooks’ daughter, Taylor, has congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries, which includes transposed arteries, ventricular inversion and a ventricular septal defect.
BHBB held its first parent meeting in June 2006. In October 2006, BHBB sponsored Tallahassee’s first Forum on Congenital Heart Disease, bringing in pediatric heart experts from the University of Florida Congenital Heart Center in Gainesville. That evening, BHBB grew from four families to 22 families. Now, just 15 months after its inception, BHBB has grown to 45 families strong.
BHBB’s future plans include advocating for newborn screening for CHDs; providing families in need with financial assistance to ease the burden of long hospital stays while their children are being treated; and providing its special children with scholarships to summer camps, special vacations or even college – to achieve their dreams and goals.
For more information about Broken Hearts of the Big Bend, e-mail broken.hearts@comcast.net, broken_hearts@comcast.net, or call 850.766.0422 or 850.443.2984. Broken Hearts also has a Myspace site at www.myspace.com/bigbendbrokenhearts.