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What We Fund
Each year, the Mend a Heart Foundation selects one or more projects that support our mission of extending and enriching the lives of children born with a congenital heart defect.
2009 Recipients
For 2009, the Mend a Heart Foundation plans to fund two projects:
Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) as a Marker of Cerebral Perfusion in Patients with and without Fenestration Following Surgical Fontan Palliation
Michael J. Danduran, Exercise Physiologist & Primary Investigator
Herma Heart Center
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI
The goal of this investigation is to assess the regional cerebral saturation patterns in patients with Fontan palliation during exercise with the focus of determining the impact of a fenestration on cerebral perfusion patterns. This information may significantly impact the clinical management of these patients and provide an enhanced understanding of the physiologic coping mechanisms associated with stress allowing for improved participation guidelines for recreational activities and an enhanced quality of life. For more information about this project, click here.
Camp Odayin
Sara Meslow, Executive Director
Stillwater, MN
Camp Odayin is a non-profit organization offering a residential camping experience for children with heart disease. Campers discover outdoor, athletic and creative activities in a safe and medically supervised environment. The state-of-the-art facility is fully staffed by highly trained pediatric cardiologists, cardiac nurses and a full cadre of trained counselors and program directors. The only charge for a camper to attend is a $25 registration fee. Camp Odayin—the only camp of its kind in the Midwest—is a place where kids play, worries rest and fun happens! The donation the Mend a Heart Foundation plans to make will be used toward the cost of adding a fourth week of residential camp in the summer of 2010. Click here for more information about Camp Odayin.
2008 Recipient
In 2008 the Mend a Heart Foundation made a $37,500 donation to help support a research project at the University of Washington under the direction of Dr. Charles E. Murry. The donation included a $7,500 grant the Mend a Heart Foundation received from the Kettering Family Foundation. The research project is titled “Induction of Cardiac Differentiation from IPS Cells.” In lay terms, the research project is focused on growing regenerative heart muscle from human induced pluripotent stem cells (non-embryonic cells that have been reprogrammed to a developmentally immature state). For more information about this study, click here.
2007 Recipient
In 2007 the Mend a Heart Foundation made a $20,000 donation to help fund a research project at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, led by Dr. Nancy Ghanayem, studying the long-term neurological outcomes of children with hypoplastic left heart. While the research focuses on HLHS children because they undergo three open heart surgeries during the first years of life, the study’s findings will ultimately apply to any child born with a congenital heart defect.
Future Recipients
We are currently accepting research proposals for 2009. If you have a research project that you would like the Mend a Heart Foundation to consider funding in 2009, please e-mail info@mendaheart.org.
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