Newborns wear red hats to raise heart disease awareness
In recognition of American Heart Month, and in anticipation for National Wear Red Day, Advocate Condell Medical Center will distribute red crocheted hats to all babies born in February to help raise awareness about heart disease, the number one killer of Americans, and congenital heart defects, the most common type of birth defect in the country.
On, Jan. 31, Sue Donnellan from the Illinois Chapter of The Children's Heart Foundation, and Tina Larson from the National Office of The Children's Heart Foundation in Lincolnshire, dropped off 200 hats for the newborns at Condell.
They were able to meet newborn Kaylee Friske of Fox Lake, and found the perfect hat for her during their visit.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Advocate Condell Medical Center and the American Heart Association have worked together to help make a difference for babies with heart defects, which affects more than 40,000 newborns each year, according to the AHA.
"We are grateful to Advocate Health Care for participating in the Little Hats, Big Hearts program again this year," said Brian Shields, executive director of the American Heart Association's Metro Chicago office.
"Heart disease touches so many lives, and this program honors mothers, babies and heart-healthy living in a very special way. Together, we're raising awareness and hopefully inspiring families to make their health a priority."
The AHA is distributing 6,000 hats in Chicagoland for the "Little Hats, Big Hearts" campaign, 2,000 of which will go to newborns across the Advocate Health Care system. Follow the baby photos on Facebook and Twitter at facebook.com/AdvocateChildrensHospital or @AdvocateKids, using the hashtags #LittleHatsBigHearts and #ChicagoGoesRed.
As a national leader in heart care, Advocate Heart Institute provides more experience which leads to better outcomes. Advocate Children's Heart Institute specializes in pediatric cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, which offers a complete continuum of care from fetus to adulthood.
For more information, visit advocateheartinstitute.com.
• To submit Your news with one photo, go to dailyherald.com/share. To submit Your news with multiple photos, send it to nbrcalender@dailyherald.com.