Take a walk for HeartKids at Moonta or Port Augusta
This Sunday, little Maddie Litchfield will take a stroll along the coast at Moonta Bay, with her Mum and Dad Jake and Lauren, to celebrate the strength of heart kids and raise awareness for childhood-onset heart disease.
The Two Feet & A Heartbeat Walk is part of a series of events being run by Heart Kids and will also honour the four Aussie kids who lose their lives each week to CoHD.
For the Litchfields, who welcomed their daughter Madeline into the world in September 2021, it was their routine 20-week scan that detected a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), with further testing revealing a more complex conditions – Tranposition of the Great Arteries (TGA). At just four hours old, Maddie underwent a eptostomy, followed by an arterial switch procedure in Melbourne at seven days old.
Now a healthy and energetic three-year-old, Maddie will require annual check-ups for the rest of her life, but her family have adapted to their little girls needs with support from family, friends and the team at HeartKids.
“We met Tania from HeartKids while I was pregnant, and the organisation has been a lifeline,” said Lauren.
Despite the challenges, Maddie’s resilience inspires her family every day as she thrives in activities like soccer, drawing, and exploring nature.
This weekend’s Two Feet & A Heartbeat walk, is meaningful four kilometre walk kicking off at 9.30am, with participants invited to hang around after for a free BBQ and family-friendly activities. Participants are encouraged to register beforehand, with all proceeds supporting HeartKids’ mission to improve the lives of families impacted by CoHD.
And for those further North, HeartKids will be running a Two Feet & A Heartbeat walk on Sunday October 27 along the Port Augusta foreshore.
For information and to register click here to join the Moonta Two Feet & A Heartbeat walk OR to register for the Port Augusta walk click here – Port Augusta Two Feet & A Heartbeat.
