Hole In The Heart

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Albuquerque, NM
Hole In The Heart

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Promoting awareness of holes in the heart & Congenital Heart Defects.

Hole in the Heart was formed to promote awareness of holes in the heart and congenital heart defects (CHDs), to create partnerships between providers and experts to increase detection of CHDs earlier in life, and to advocate best practices for the detection and diagnosis of CHDs.

10/29/2026

❤️ You’re Invited!

Join Hole In The Heart this Friday, October 30, at 12 PM MST via Zoom for a presentation with the New Mexico Public Health Association!

Learn how we’re changing the congenital heart defect (CHD) landscape for New Mexico families, what’s ahead for 2027, and how you can support our mission.

🔗 Register at: https://www.nmpha.org/event-6867432
See you there!

#𝗖𝗛𝗗𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

10/28/2026

🎃👻 THE SCARIEST STORIES ARE THE ONES WE DON’T SEE COMING.

This Halloween, we’re bringing three very real CHD stories out of the shadows.

That’s why Hole in the Heart is advocating for greater CHD awareness, research investment, and a stronger healthcare workforce.

🫀 More specialists. More access to care. Better outcomes. For every heart.

🎃 Help us bring CHD out of the shadows. SHARE this post.

Medical Resources:
CDC — Congenital Heart Defects
JACC Advances — U.S. ACHD Workforce
PubMed — ACHD Workforce Gaps
NIH RePORTER — Research Funding

10/21/2026

❤️ Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common birth defect, yet CHD research receives a disproportionately small share of federal research investment compared with other conditions affecting similar or smaller populations.

This is why Hole In The Heart is proud to be part of the Every 100th Heart Champions Network, advocating on a national level to bring greater attention to both the prevalence of CHD and the limited funding dedicated to CHD research.

Our advocacy does not stop at the state line. While we continue working to improve CHD awareness, detection, care, and resources here in New Mexico, we are also taking New Mexico’s voice to the national conversation.

🇺🇸 We want to make sure New Mexico is represented, heard, and accounted for when decisions are made about CHD research, funding, healthcare, and the future of the CHD community.

CHD deserves research investment that reflects how many people it affects—and the lifelong impact it can have.

❤️ From New Mexico to Washington, D.C., we’re advocating for every 100th heart.

10/16/2026

🦋 Celebrating Community Partnerships!

We’re honored to partner with Birthing Garden Indigenous Full Spectrum Birth Work with Gayla & SheLeah Benally, Doulas, a mother-daughter team of Certified Indigenous Full Spectrum Birth Workers serving families in Shiprock, NM.

Their culturally rooted approach to supporting Indigenous families aligns beautifully with our work at Hole In The Heart to bring CHD awareness and education to communities across New Mexico.

Together, we’re helping families Watch Their Hearts and feel empowered with information that can make a difference. 💙

Visit Watch Their Hearts to learn about the 6 Warning Signs in Newborns: www.HoleintheHeartASD.org/watch-their-hearts/

10/12/2026

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY • HEALTH EQUITY

New Mexico has one of the largest American Indian and Alaska Native populations by percentage in the United States, second only to Alaska. (Ranked #2 in the nation.)

Today, we honor the Indigenous peoples, Tribal Nations, cultures, histories, and communities whose contributions are an essential part of New Mexico.

Representation matters — in our communities, in healthcare, and in the data that guides public health.

What we still need to understand:

We need more complete, reliable, and representative data to understand CHD prevalence, timely diagnosis, outcomes, and access to care for Indigenous families in New Mexico.

When data are incomplete, health disparities can be harder to identify — and communities may be overlooked in decisions about resources, research, and care.

Better data. Better representation. Better care.

Hole In The Heart advocates for stronger birth-defect surveillance and meaningful partnerships that help ensure New Mexico families, including Indigenous communities, are represented in public health data.

JOIN us in our advocacy efforts: [email protected]

Resource: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35048540/

10/07/2026

❤️ Join Hole in the Heart at the Jemez Health Fair!

We’re proud to be part of this important community outreach event Saturday, October 10, from 1–4 PM at the Rose Center for Integrative Health. Jemez Valley Community Wellness

📍 Stop by our exhibit table and meet Hole in the Heart Founders, Sandra Sanchez Fahrlender & Bob Fahrlender!

🎤 Attend our presentation: Our Family’s CHD Journey, Advocacy & Creating Change in New Mexico, sponsored by EMTeas – Everyday Medicine Teas.

❤️ Enter for a chance to win a Mobile Kardia Device in the drawing!

We’ve also loved working with Carey Beam, CHD Family Advocate, to help bring this event together—and we finally get to spend some time together in person on Saturday! We look forward to meeting all of the wonderful families joining us!

10/01/2026

Partnership Spotlight: Esperanza Infant Loss Support ABQ 💜

Hole In The Heart is proud to partner with Esperanza Infant Loss Support ABQ, a compassionate space where mothers who have experienced infant loss can come together for support, grief, and remembrance.

Led by Lizeth Sandoval, LMSW, who founded the group in honor of her own journey with infant loss, Esperanza Infant Loss Support ABQ provides meaningful support to families navigating unimaginable loss.

At Hole In The Heart, we recognize that supporting families through a CHD diagnosis means being there through every stage of their journey, including grief and loss. Partnerships like this help ensure families feel seen, supported, and never alone.

💜 Join Esperanza Infant Loss Support ABQ for their Family Walk of Remembrance
📅 October 3 | 9:00 AM
📍 North Domingo Baca Park, Albuquerque

Learn more: Esperanza Infant Loss Support ABQ

09/29/2026

💗 The Most Common Birth Defect Deserves to Be Seen in the Data.

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common type of birth defect in the United States, affecting nearly 1% of births—about 40,000 babies each year.

But here in New Mexico, the numbers tell us there is more to understand.

New Mexico Department of Health Birth Defects Surveillance data show 4.8% of births had a circulatory-system birth defect, and 4.1% had a heart-related birth defect when limited to Q20–Q24 diagnoses.

That’s why Newborn Screening Month matters. Screening is an important tool, but understanding CHDs requires more than screening alone. It requires reliable data, strong surveillance, and the ability to identify where CHDs are occurring, when they are being diagnosed, and which communities and families are most affected.

Hole In The Heart's advocacy for the New Mexico Department of Health Birth Defects Surveillance Program is about making sure CHDs in New Mexico can be counted, understood, mapped, and acted upon—helping identify gaps in education, resources, care, and support.

💗 Screen. Track. Understand. Act.

WANT TO HELP ADVOCATE? If you or your organization is interested in joining Hole In The Heart in advocating for the New Mexico Department of Health Birth Defects Surveillance Program, contact us at [email protected]

09/28/2026

🚨 WATCH THEIR HEARTS 🚨
❤️ Nuestro anuncio de servicio público de Watch Their Hearts reúne las 6 señales de advertencia — un recordatorio de lo que debe observar en su recién nacido.
Desde sueño extremo o poca actividad hasta dificultad para alimentarse, sudoración, dificultad para aumentar de peso, cambios en el color de la piel y respiración rápida o con dificultad, conocer estas señales puede ayudar a los padres a reconocer cuando algo no está bien.
💙 Usted conoce a su bebé mejor que nadie. Preste atención a los patrones y cambios, confíe en su instinto y hable con el doctor de su bebé si tiene alguna preocupación. Sus preguntas y preocupaciones son importantes.
En Hole in the Heart, estamos comprometidos a ayudar a las familias a convertirse en mejores defensores de la salud de sus recién nacidos por medio de la educación y la concientización.
Vea el anuncio de servicio público completo y obtenga más información: https://holeintheheartasd.org/watch-their-hearts/

09/28/2026

🚨 WATCH THEIR HEARTS 🚨
❤️ Our Watch Their Hearts PSA brings all 6 warning signs together — a reminder of what to look for in your newborn.
From extreme sleepiness or low activity to poor feeding, sweating, poor weight gain, changes in skin color, and fast or labored breathing, knowing the signs can help parents recognize when something may not be right.
💙 You know your baby best. Pay attention to patterns and changes, trust your instincts, and talk to your baby’s doctor when you have concerns. Your questions and concerns matter.
At Hole in the Heart, we’re committed to helping families become stronger advocates for their newborns through education and awareness.
Watch the full PSA and learn more: https://holeintheheartasd.org/watch-their-hearts/

Address

Albuquerque, NM

Website

https://HoleInTheHeartASD.org/

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