6.3. SR 02-02-2015 �i
EOty lk Request for Action
River
To Item Number
Mayor and City Council 6.3
Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by
Presentations,Awards, Februarys 2, 2015 Tina Allard, City Clerk
and Recognition
Item Description Reviewed by
Proclaim Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week Cal Portner, City Administrator
Reviewed by
Action Requested
1. Mayor Dietz to read the proclamation.
2. Mayor Dietz to present the proclamation to Natalie Barker.
Background/Discussion
Natalie Barker is requesting the Council recognize the week of Februarys 7, 2015, as Congenital Heart
Defect Awareness Week. Attached is a letter about congenital heart defect awareness and the Baker's
story.
Financial Impact
N/A
Attachments
• Proclamation
• Letter from Ms. Barker
P0WInII a
Template Updated 4/14 [NATUREJ
PROCLAMATION
A Proclamation Designating February 7-14, 2015, as
Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week
WHEREAS,the health and well-being of our children is of paramount importance;and
WHEREAS, each year in the United States about 36,000 children are born with a congenital
heart defect;and
WHEREAS,the medical community has identified congenital heart defects as the leading cause
of birth defect-related deaths;and
WHEREAS,medical research can provide us a better understanding of the origins and
symptoms of congenital heart defects;and
WHEREAS,it is crucial that parents,pediatricians,and other medical professionals have a
greater awareness of the potential for congenital heart defects among newborns and children;
and
WHEREAS, Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week provides affected families and patients
the opportunity to share their experiences and knowledge with the public, so that everyone can
be made more aware of how congenital heart defects affect our lives.
NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Elk River City Council hereby
proclaims the week of February 7-14,2015,as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week.
Passed and adopted this 2nd day of February,2015.
John J. Dietz,Mayor
ATTEST:
Tina Allard, City Clerk
JA N z 6 2015
Mr.John Dietz:
Hi, my name is Natalie Barker and i am writing to discuss Congenkal Heart Defect Awareness Week.
Every year heart families across Minnesota (and the entire country)declare February 7th-14th
Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. Did you know that Congenital Heart Defects(CND's) are
America's and every country's#1 birth defect? Nearly one of every 100 babies is born with a CHD. Let
me tell you a little about my personal experience with Congenital Heart Defects. Five Years ago on
February 15th, 2010, 1 thought that I was giving birth to a completely healthy baby boy, Aidden. My
ultrasounds were perfect and my pregnancy was wonderful! Two days, later on February 17th, 2010, 1
got the most horrifying news about my sweet baby boy. He had a Congenital Heart Defect known as
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Children with HLHS have a very poor prognosis in life; therefore we
were given three options of how we wanted to proceed with our cares for him.We could take him home
and left him pass away, undergo three open heart surgeries within the first 4 years of life or go on a
heart transplant list.We chose to give our baby boy the biggest chance of undergoing three open heart
surgeries. So that's what we did and today Aidden has undergone three open heart surgeries and many
hospitalizations. He is doing much, much better than anyone expected that he would do. In the future,
Aidden will need a heart transplant, due to the fact that over the years he will eventually end up in heart
failure. However,today we are letting him live his life to the fullest and letting him be the child that he
wants to be. Every day is a journey and a journey that I would never trade because it has taught me so
much about life itself.
Here are some facts about Congenital Heart Defects:.
• Congenital heart defects are the#1 cause of birth defect related deaths.
• Congenital heart defects are the leading cause of all infant deaths in the United States.
• Each year approximately 40,000 babies are born in the United States with a congenital heart defect.
Thousands of them will not reach their first birthday and thousands more die before they reach
adulthood.
• Each year over 1,000,000 babies are born worldwide with a congenital heart defect. 100,000 of them
will not live to see their first birthday and thousands more die before they reach adulthood.
Almost half all children and adults with complex congenital heart disease have neurological and
developmental disabilities.
*There are an estimated 2,000,000 CHD survivors in the United States.
• For the first time, more than 50%of the CHD survivors are adults.
• 10%of all CHD cases evaluated in an Adult CHD clinic are first diagnosed in adulthood
91,000 life years are lost each year in this country due to congenital heart defects.
*The cost for inpatient surgery to repair congenital heart defects exceeds$2.2 billion a year.
More than 50%of all children born with congenital heart defect will require at least one invasive
surgery in their lifetime.
• There are more than 40 different types of congenital heart defects. Little is known about the cause of
most of them.There is no known prevention or cure for any of them.
• In the United States, twice as many children die from congenital heart defects each year than from all
forms of childhood cancer combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than
funding for CHD.
Therefore, I am asking that you declare February 7th-14th Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week in
Elk River. It would be an honor not only for my son, but all of the other families that have children with
CND's and families who lost their children from CHD's.
Thank you for allowing me to share my story!
Natalie Barker