Support the Mended Little Hearts Bravery Bags!
Mended Little Hearts provides Bravery Bags to families in the hospital after their child has had heart surgery. When a child needs a heart surgery or procedure, the whole family has to be very brave. We support many families in our community – both near and far. MLH of Greater Rochester supports all families that come to Golisano Children’s Hospital at URMC for heart surgery and care. Families from: Buffalo, Jamestown, Binghamton, Syracuse, Rochester and all the towns in between!
What Is A Bravery Bag?
A MLH Bravery Bag is a bag given to families in the hospital after their child has had heart surgery or other heart procedures. When a child needs a heart surgery or procedure, the whole family has to be very brave—the child himself/herself, the parents or caregivers, and any siblings. The Bravery Bag helps the family have courage and strength through this time of crisis and to know they are not alone.
Need for Bravery Bags
About 1 in every 110 babies is born with a heart defect each year (approximately 40,000) making it the most common birth defect in the U.S. Nearly 25% of these children will need open-heart surgery or other procedures to survive. Many times, families find out suddenly about their child’s heart defect and the need for surgery after birth, and the babies is whisked away by helicopter or ambulance to a hospital in another city or state. Parents and caregivers often follow the baby, sometimes with little more than the contents of their wallet or purse.
Imagine finding out that your baby or child has something wrong with his or her heart. This happens to about 40,000 new families each year. In fact, congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects in the United States.
Mended Little Hearts provides Bravery Bags full of comfort items, toiletry items and fun items to families with children in the hospital after heart surgeries or other procedures. The bags let them know someone is there to help them through their journey, and families are instantly connected to a caring support network.
This is what families who received the bags told us:
“When I got the bag, I cried. It meant so much to know there was someone out there who understood what we were going through and really cared.”
“We were suddenly sent to a hospital away from home for our daughter’s surgery. We were so scared, and we had forgotten to bring things we needed that we found in the bag. We were so grateful.”
“The bag let us know we were not alone and gave my kids something to do when their brother had surgery. Thank you, Mended Little Hearts.”
Please help us support families and make a donation for our Bravery Bag Drive. It means so much to families whose children are in the hospital.
Mended Little Angels
Co-founded & facilitated by two fellow Angel Moms, our local Mended Little Angels group is a support group to parents in the greater Rochester area who have lost children to congenital heart defects. We invite you to join us, and other angel parents, as we navigate this unimaginable journey. Together we will share support, strength, and stories of our beloved children. https://www.facebook.com/Mended-Little-Angels-Of-Rochester-248974365854538
Thank you for helping our families!