Children's Heart Foundation Brings Heartwarming Spirit and Inspiration Locally

DEVON–On Thursday, July 14, the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Children's Heart Foundation, based in Newtown Square, held their Philly Hearts fundraiser at the Hilltop House in Devon.

Patty Cheshire has been heading up the chapter for five years. In that time, the local chapter has done many events in the area to raise money for congenital heart defect research. Cheshire, who has a personal connection to this organization, shared with Patch that doctors had detected her son, Camden, had a heart defect when he was a mere 8-hours-old.

Then, at only 4-days-old he underwent heart surgery. Cheshire's son is now doing fine, but she was surprised to see how common congenital heart defects were. The Children's Heart Foundation was an ideal place for her to get involved. According to Cheshire, they only have five paid employees and with that little of an overhead, she knows her fundraising efforts are going to the right place.

The funds she raises are sent to the Chicago branch and each year a panel of pediatric cardiologists and surgeons review proposals sent in from across the country. The panel decides who is doing the most productive research in this area and grants them the funding.

"All the money we raise goes right where we want it to–the research," said Cheshire.

Last year alone, the PA Chapter of the Children's Heart Foundation raised $80,000 for research. Each year the events and the volunteers continue to grow. Cheshire manages to receive exceptional donations and sponsorships from companies  and organizations like Braggables, Hartstrings, a Subsidiary of Parigi Group, LTD, Teva Pharmaceuticals,Trammell Crow Company, Bryn Mawr Trust Company, The Lynch Family, and Jeremy Hinman in order to make sure their donations go to research.

The Philly Hearts event was truly a heartwarming combination of fun and inspiration. The event included activities for both children and adults. The carnival-style atmosphere included food vendors dishing up pizza, water ice, and other tasty treats. In addition, there was a photo both, a bounce castle, and lots of music for anyone to enjoy.

Baby Blues Sound Collective is a band comprised of cardiologists and nurses who come together and play for various charity events. Despite hectic hospital schedules, the band always tries to put down the charts and find time to rehearse. Dr. Gil Wernovsky, associate chief of cardiology for the pediatric division at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, plays piano in the band and enjoyed seeing his young patients smiling from the audience.

"It's amazing; it's a huge rush," described Wernovsky about playing live in front of patients and fans.

Other little Philly touches included in the event was the Philadelphia Zoo on Wheels as well as the Philly Phanatic who made a brief appearance. Local sports celebrity Brett Manney of the Philadelphia Wings also signed autographs and performed lacrosse drills with the children.

But along with all the fun and fanfare, there were also a few heroes in the crowd. Nels Matson, a 28-year-old heart defect survivor and Nick Busta, whose wife Jeni has hypoplastic left heart syndrome took a break from their Bike4theCHF ride across the country to spread some inspiration. Matson had the same heart defect as Cheshire's son Camden.

"It brought me so much hope. I heard from the cardiologist that Camden was doing well, but meeting a man with the same heart defect who was strong enough to bike across the country was very inspiring. It just makes me want to work even harder to give another family the same chance we had," shared Cheshire.

Matson was also glad to be at the event. He noted the turnout was a lot bigger than expected.

Busta's wife Jeni is another inspiration for the heart families. Her specific type of defect is one of the more challenging, but at age 26 she is one of the oldest survivors. She has followed her husband and Matson through their journey in the team's support van.

It may sound like a grueling ride, but whenever the bikers get tired they remember the children they're riding for. Cheshire said if the families meet someone who has survived with a heart defect and can bike across the country and compete in an Ironman race, then there is "a lot of hope for heart families."

Also on hand was Grayson Deal, who too a break from his Appalachian Trail hike to join the party. Deal had heart surgery in 2009 and that changed his whole outlook. He already loved hiking so he decided to hike the entire Appalachian Trail to raise money for the Children's Heart Foundation. Deal has documented his journey on his blog, hike4heart.org.

The lucky break in the humidity allowed for a lovely evening of family, friends, and survivors at any age. Everywhere you turned there were children smiling and laughing.

"Primary focus is finding answers, and saving and improving the lives of children," said Cheshire.