The WCCHN

09/23/2025

💙 Supporting siblings matters too!
A new study is looking for kids ages 8–12 who have a brother or sister with congenital heart disease. The program focuses on mental health and wellness, giving siblings a space to learn, share, and feel supported.
🕒 Just 2.5 hours total
💵 $50 honorarium
📩 To learn more or sign up see teh original post below.
By taking part, your family can help shape better support for siblings of children with CHD today and in the future.

08/28/2025

WCCHN is proud to support our partners at CNOC Thrive and Congenital Cardiac Research Collaborative - CCRC in shaping better care for children with congenital heart disease.

Parents know best when it comes to their child’s development—and your experiences can help guide future research, education, and support for heart families. 💙

📋 Take the short anonymous survey and share your thoughts. Every response helps ensure family voices are at the heart of care.

The Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative (CNOC) and the Congenital Cardiac Research Collaborative (CCRC) want to partner with parents of children with congenital heart disease. Our goal is to create a family-centered approach that guides research, education, and awareness around developmental follow-up. To do so, we need to hear about what is important to parents and what their experiences have been around their child’s development. We have designed a brief survey for parents to share their thoughts on this topic.

Attached is a flyer with a QR code to the survey. Please consider partnering with us by completing the survey. Please also share this survey with others. We want to hear from as many parents as possible!

https://redcap.wustl.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=8K9LN8MWFHX7N7AC

08/22/2025

👏 Meet Gwen, a 14-year-old and rising 🐎 equestrian star! After three open-heart surgeries, she continues to defy the odds, recently representing Canada in dressage, achieving personal best scores, and even speaking at the Parade of Nations. 🌍✨ Gwen, you’re an inspiration to heart families everywhere and a reminder that CHD doesn’t define what’s possible. ❤️

👉 You can cheer her on and follow her journey on Instagram:

08/08/2025

💻❤️ Heart kids ages 6–16 — join the Virtual Heart Camp on November 22, 2025! Connect with other kids who “get it” and enjoy a fun-filled day of games, cookies, and connection. 🍪🎉

07/07/2025

📣 CHD Camp Alert! Heart Beats Children's Society is offering heart kiddos the chance to build friendships, boost confidence, and just be kids. 🧸🏕️

🌲 CAMP EVERGREEN INFO DROP!

Join us Sept 12–14 for a weekend of connection, adventure, and heart community at Camp Evergreen (near Sundre, AB).

🛏️ Heated cabins
🏕️ All meals + activities (canoeing, rock climbing, archery, horseback riding, & more!)
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For families with a heart child seen at ACH or Quarry Park
💲$50 (age 8+), $25 (ages 5–7), FREE (4 & under)

✅ Registration opens Tuesday, July 8 at 9 AM, email: events@heartbeats.ca

Spots fill fast - watch our socials for updates as camp fills!

06/27/2025

Summer is here, and so is picnic season! ☀️ We’re thrilled to share this recap from Virtual Heart Connection, where kids with CHD connect and play, Here’s to building friendships, celebrating strength, and kicking off summer with joy. ❤️ 🧺

06/27/2025

We’re so moved by this incredible project that brings together heart warriors, families, and care teams to celebrate resilience and strength. 💙 Watch and listen as voices from across Canada join in song, showing the unstoppable spirit of the CHD community.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common type of birth defect, affecting 1 in 100 live births. Medical and surgical advancements have dramatically i...

06/03/2025

🎥 New Story Added!
Sometimes the hardest part comes after surgery. In Unspoken, Kristi shares her family’s unexpected journey after their daughter’s second open-heart surgery, and the turning point that led to advocacy, therapy, and a new path forward.

🫀 Unspoken: Finding Our Path With CHD is now live on our Family & Patient Stories page.
👉 Watch now: https://wcchn.ca/kristis-story/

05/30/2025

🎬 New Patient Story Now Live!
When the hospital stay ends, the journey doesn’t. In this powerful digital story, Kristyn shares the unseen challenges her family faced after her son’s heart transplant, and what she wishes more people knew.

🫀 More Than Just a Broken Heart is now on our Family & Patient Stories page.
👉 Watch now: https://wcchn.ca/kristyns-story/

05/27/2025

🧠💙New Resource Alert: Developmental Care in Pediatric Cardiology!
We’re proud to launch a new resource highlighting the importance of supporting brain development in children with congenital heart disease.

Developed with experts Dr. Marsha Vasserman and Veena Sivarajan, this page features educational videos and practical strategies for families and healthcare teams. From theory to bedside care, it’s all about giving little hearts the best start possible.

Explore it now ➡️ https://wcchn.ca/parents-families/chd-knowledge-information-hub/developmental-care/

05/23/2025

🩺📊 Happy National Medical Coders Day!
At WCCHN, we’re proud to celebrate the behind-the-scenes experts who help transform complex medical data into meaningful insights. Our skilled coders play a vital role in making sure the right information gets to the right places, supporting better care for children with heart conditions. 💙

Their attention to detail and sharp thinking directly impact how we learn, improve, and grow as a network. Thank you for helping us put little hearts in good hands.