Dick Durbin: “every 15 minutes in America, a baby is born with a congenital heart defect. Many of these congenital heart defects are…”

“every 15 minutes in America, a baby is born with a congenital heart defect. Many of these congenital heart defects are simple and can be easily corrected. Others are complex; some can require a lifetime of specialized medical care. If you want to know what fear and powerlessness feels like, imagine being a young parent, listening to a doctor tell you that your new baby--who appears so perfect to you--has a threatening heart problem. Fortunately, congenital heart defects aren't as deadly as they once were. In the 1950s, only 20 percent of American babies with congenital heart defects survived infancy. Today, 90 percent survive. Many children born with serious heart defects grow up to be adults with active, productive lives. That progress didn't happen by accident. It happened because Americans made a decision in the 1960s to reduce these mortality numbers. We invested in research that led to better understanding and better treatments of the heart, from infancy to old age. That investment in research has paid off in many ways. Some heart conditions that used to kill adults quickly often are managed now with medications and life style changes. The number of Americans with congenital heart disease living full, healthy lives increases by about 5 percent every year. About 2 million Americans are living with congenital heart disease today. We have come a long way--but there is more that we can do.…”