Milestones

In the early 1990s, a group of parents of children with congenital heart disease from Wong Chuk Hang area met in Grantham Hospital’s Pediatric Cardiology ward. The lack of convenient transportation and of public awareness of congenital heart disease meant that support for these sick children and their families was very limited. In response, a group of concerned parents,joined by medical staff,came together and decided to form a parent support group for families. So began the Children's Heart Foundation.

1994 – 1999

In 1994, following a substantial donation by Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Ltd, the Children's Heart Foundation became a registered charity. Committee members and one full-time staff member worked hard together and in just five years, the foundation was providing regular ward visits and had set up a parents outreach programme. They had also drafted committee policies and arranged medical sponsorship for catheter intervention and pacemaker installation. This period also saw the renovation of Grantham Hospital’s Patient Resource Centre which received its first nitric oxide delivery system. Overseas specialists were brought to Hong Kong to advocate advanced treatments such as the body heart valve transplant.

2000 – 2004

The Foundation continued to expand, with the number of workers increasing to two and the launch of a website to communicate with the public. To address the need for temporary accommodation among parents of hospitalized children, in 2001, the Foundation set up the House of the Heart in a government residence next to the hospital. Meanwhile the Foundation continued to be active in the area of medical treatment and cooperation between Hong Kong University, Great Ormond Street, Hospital and Grantham Hospital led to the first medical exchange and the start of sponsorship of children with the Berlin Heart Pump.

With the expansion of services, the Foundation also continued to strengthen its fundraising capacity, with events such as a charity golf tournament and a charity dinner at the former Governor’s House. They also applied for grants and received support from the South China Morning Post and RTHK Radio 3 in the Christmas charity campaign, ‘Santa Claus: Loving Hearts, Big Action’. In 2000, on the 10th anniversary of the charity, singer Andy Hui became an ambassador for children with congenital heart disease. In addition the charity launched its inaugural heart-to-heart charity walk.

2005 – 2010

In addition to organizing exhibitions on healthy hearts In shopping malls, the Foundation started working with schools to raise awareness of congenital heart disease and of ways of keeping your heart healthy. In 2007, an award scheme was launched using scholarships and certificates to encourage sick children to continue learning and obtain good results.

With demand increasing for the House of the Heart’s facilities by parents of sick children, in 2008 the Foundation increased their office hours to Mon-Sun and Public Holidays. The children’s Cardiology Department at Grantham Hospital relocated to Queen Mary Hospital and changed its name from Cardiology for Young Children to Cardiology for Children. Accordingly, in 2009, the Foundation’s main office and House of the Heart moved to a government residence at 122, Pok Fu Lam Rd and continued serving parents.

The Foundation’s contribution to society was becoming increasingly recognized and in 2009 they were invited by the Food and Health Bureau to participate in preparatory working group discussions on children’s medical centres of excellence. Artist and singer Miss Ella Koon was appointed as an ambassador for children with congenital heart disease.

2011 – 2015

With local medical breakthroughs continuing on different levels, the survival rates of children with congenital heart disease had begun to rise. Some members of the Foundation’s children entered adolescence and even started to work. As a result, in 2012, the Teens Club was established and a trial YP training program began, with the aim of strengthening ties with teenagers and equipping youth members to face challenges. Furthermore, the Foundation used adventure activities to train children with heart conditions to improve in self-confidence and self-care ability.

To allow more children and their families to weather the storm of heart disease, between 2010-2012, the foundation further expanded the Medical Financial Assistance Scheme’s ‘safety nets and heart valve transplant’ programme. With the expansion of the Queen Mary Hospital,in 2014, the Foundation’s office and the House of the Heart moved to Wah Kwong House in Wah Fu Village, where cooking facilities, WiFi Internet access, an information pavilion and a games room designed for sick children have been added.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its establishment, in 2014,the Foundation organised a city-wide art and design competition to encourage children with congenital heart disease to be creative, and to express love through paintings. In addition, in 2015,the Foundation organised its first Sports Day,designed specifically for children with congenital heart disease, so that sick children could experience the joy of athletics and increase their self-confidence.