April 19th is the International Day of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness. In honor of this day, CDH families and friends are holding events around the world. CHERUBS is sponsoring 7 parades, including a large one in Washington DC that will end on Capitol Hill and a light up the night event in the UK.
For more information on the events, you can visit http://www.cdhbills.org
We are doing our best to raise awareness of CDH and we need your support to keep doing that!
CHERUBS has a new Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Campaign, "Save the Cherubs". We use photos of CDH survivors and grieving families to show that CDH is not "rare", that cherubs are real and everywhere. We put faces to the birth defect to bring awareness to the public in a way that has never been done before! This is a national campaign and we need donations to fund billboards, banners, posters, magazine ads, newspaper ads and more.
For more information on this project you can visit http://www.savethecherubs.org
CDH Awareness Fund – this fund will help raise awareness of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia through balloon releases, giving away free CDH ribbon buttons and brochures and other items. It will also cover advertising costs, billboards, video production and much more.
- A donation of $4 will sponsor 1 set of wings
- A donation of $7 will sponsor 1 CDH Education Poster
- A donation of $20 will sponsor 100 CDH Awareness Ribbon Buttons
- A donation of $100 will sponsor a Balloon Release
- A donation of $400 will sponsor 5000 CDH Awareness Brochures
- A donation of $3000 will sponsor a billboard advertisement
What is CDH?
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) occurs in approximately 1 in every 2,500 births (1,600 cases in the U.S. each year). The cause of CDH is not yet known. The diaphragm is formed in the first trimester of pregnancy and controls the lungs' ability to inhale and exhale. CDH occurs when the diaphragm fails to form or to close totally and an opening allows abdominal organs into the chest cavity. This inhibits lung growth.
Every patient diagnosed with CDH is different. Survival rates depend on the types and number of organs involved in the herniation and the amount of lung tissue available. There are many surgical procedures and complications that may or may not occur with each individual, including in utero surgery.
Roughly 50% of babies born with CDH do not survive. Of the 50% that do survive, most will endure long hospital stays, feeding issues, asthma and other problems. A few of the survivors suffer from severe long-term medical issues.
CDH occurs as frequently as Spina Bifida and Cystic Fibrosis, yet there is very little research being done and virtually no media coverage.
Learn more about CDH at
http://www.cdhsupport.org