Each week, 12 Kiwi children will be diagnosed with a heart condition. There is no cure for a childhood heart condition, and heart kids will face a lifetime of surgeries and treatments.

That's children like 6-year-old Chase, in Waikato, the youngest New Zealander on the heart transplant list. And 8-year-old Ariana, in Te Awamutu, near Hamilton, who had open-heart surgery at just 7 days old, the first of four surgeries to date. In Christchurch, 10-month-old Aiden has spent most of his short life in hospital with a congenital heart defect and Down Syndrome, and in Tauranga, 5-month-old Adelina, has a complex heart condition and a long road ahead.

On Friday, 24 March, Heart Kids NZ will run its national fundraising campaign Little Heart Day to support these children and thousands of others across Aotearoa who have been impacted by childhood heart conditions.

We're asking Kiwis to hold a wear-red day, a red-themed bake sale or make a heart coin trail to raise as much as possible to help us continue to support our heart kids and their families. And all across Aotearoa, buildings will light up red for Heart Kids NZ, helping achieve much-needed visibility for children with heart conditions.

Each of our heart families has a unique story they are happy to share. If you'd like to speak with the families of Chase, Adelina, Aiden or Ariana, please get in touch. If you're looking for a heart family in your area, please contact us.

You can donate to Little Heart Day at www.littleheartday.org.nz and learn more about Heart Kids NZ on the website: www.heartkids.org.nz.

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