The whole community is invited to join the Quakawoot family for the annual HeartKids Two Feet and A Heartbeat charity walk which takes place in October.
Attendees can choose between a four and eight kilometre walk which will help raise both money and awareness for people living with congenital heart disease (CHD).
CHD is one of the leading causes of death of Australian babies under one and one of the most common birth abnormalities affecting one in every 100 births.
Eight Australian babies are born with the disease each day and four sadly pass away each week.
Mackay locals, the Quakawoot family, have been living this traumatic experience since their son Charlie was diagnosed with CHD when he was born.
The little guy spent six weeks in hospital after his birth and will require expensive ongoing medicine twice a day to keep him alive.
Charlie’s mum, Robyn, was just 28 weeks pregnant when the midwife picked up a rapid heart rate of about 300bpm.
She was told to go to Townsville hospital straight away where they put her on two different heart medications to try and get Charlie’s heart rate down.
This was a very scary experience for Robyn and the family as Charlie had started to go into heart failure.
Fortunately, after a week of treatment, Charlie’s heart rate returned to normal but his parents had a nervous wait until he was born.
“It was a very stressful time during the hospital stay which lasted 6 weeks. It was also a very anxious time when we were able to bring him home,” said Robyn.
“When Charlie was five days old, he had his first SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) episode outside the womb.
“To try and revert his heart rhythm, the doctors tried dunking his head in an ice bath and when this didn’t work, they administered a drug through an IV, which worked thankfully to reduce his heart rate,” says dad Andrew.
Navigating a new life with Charlie’s condition has been both traumatic and expensive for the family who have had to dig into their savings to pay for his ongoing medicine.
HeartKids have been a lifeline during this time by providing in hospital emotional support and meals to them while Charlie underwent treatment at Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Mackay’s upcoming Two Feet and A Heartbeat charity walk is an opportunity for HeartKids supporters, friends and families to come together to support families like Charlie’s.
Tickets to the event are $30 for adults, children under 15 are $15 and an infant under one is free.
Each participant will receive a pair of socks and a flag representing their journey.
Blue for the kids living with CHD, white for those that have lost a loved one and red for supporters, friends and family.
The event will begin with a minute’s silence for those lost and this will be followed by your choice of four- or eight-kilometre walk.
Afterwards there will be a BBQ and a range of other activities.
WHAT: HeartKids Two Feet and A Heartbeat charity walk
WHEN: Sunday, October 16 from 3.30pm – 6.00pm
WHERE: Old Mulherin Park, Mulherin Drive
