Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week Puts Defect To Forefront

MIAMI (CBS4)-We all have a heart and chances are we don't give it much thought because it does its job day in and day out, but each year 40,000 babies are born in the United States with a congenital heart defect.

CBS4's Shannon Hori's was with her family at Jackson Memorial Hospital for Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. Hori's son Colt was born with the defect. On Friday, Hori, was joined by two-year-old Colt, his twin brother Cade and her husband the hospital.

Colt, who was born with a rare congenital heart defect, required open heart surgery when he was two-days-old.

Colt suffered a cardiac arrest when he was just three-weeks-old.

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week is a chance for families to celebrate life and raise awareness about heart defects, which are the most common type of birth defect.

"The reality is that though we can't help basically every body the prognosis has improved substantially," doctor Marco Ricci said. "So kids do well. Most of them do develop. They're able to go to school. They're able to do the things that basically every other child can do."

Eight out of every 1,000 newborns has a heart defect. But there's a need for more awareness.

For more on congenital heart defects and how it impacted Hori's life stay tuned to her special report on Wednesday, February 23rd at 5 p.m.