New Mid Ulster family support group for kids with heart condition

Families of children affected by congenital heart disease (CHD) are invited to the first Mid Ulster family support group in Cookstown on Saturday 30th November at 11am.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Nov 2013, 13:02 BST
Mary Jo McCourt and her daughter CaraMary Jo McCourt and her daughter Cara
Mary Jo McCourt and her daughter Cara

The group will meet at the Playshack at Cookstown Leisure Centre and the children who come along can expect a special visitor all the way from the North Pole! All the family are welcome and it is a great and informal way to meet other local families effected by CHD.

The Mid Ulster Family Support Coordinator for Children’s Heartbeat Trust, Mary Jo McCourt, is organising the event. Mary Jo and Gary McCourt have three children, the youngest of which, Cara (18 months), has a complex congenital heart defect. Mary Jo is eager to start her new voluntary role as family support coordinator for Mid Ulster and said:

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“These meetings are a great opportunity for local families affected by CHD to get together and support each other over a cup of tea and a bun. It is open to all family members from grandparents to siblings and anyone else interested or affected.”

Family support groups are just one of a number of ways local charity Children’s Heartbeat Trust support families affected by heart disease in children. Over 250 children are born each year with a heart disorder in Northern Ireland and one third of these children will require investigation and/or surgery.

For further information on the work of the charity or on the Mid Ulster local group contact [email protected]; call 07584 164 815; or visit the website at www.childrensheartbeattrust.org.