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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.
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