Newman community rallies for HeartKids’ Two Feet & A Heartbeat charity walk

Newman locals will rally for a good cause to support a young family on their journey to raise awareness for childhood-onset heart disease (CoHD), one of the main causes of infant death in Australia.

Just 12-hours after birth, Zoey O’Hanrahan was diagnosed with a large doubly committed ventricular septal defect (VSD) and bicuspid pulmonary valve with mild stenosis.

Despite complications along the way, such as three weeks in NICU and open-heart surgery at three months old, Zoey is now thriving and has been named ambassador for HeartKids charity walk Two Feet & A Heartbeat in Newman.

The charity walk will take place for the first time in Newman on October 13, and the O’Hanrahan family are encouraging the community to join them, with all donations helping HeartKids to provide psychological and practical support to Australian families living with CoHD.

Participants will have a choice to walk 4km to pay tribute to the four lives lost to CoHD in Australia each week, or 8km in recognition of the eight babies born with CoHD each day.

“I knew about HeartKids through a friend who was born with multiple holes in her heart and was a HeartKid herself,” mum Emily O’Hanrahan said.

“In 2020 I also participated in the Pannawonica Two Feet & A Heartbeat walk and was reintroduced to HeartKids.

“Not long after Zoey was born, the HeartKids team gave us a lot of support, whether it was having someone to talk to or a meal voucher waiting for us.

“Their support was incredible, it’s lifelong, so we always have that support with us and for Zoey, so I really wanted to do the walk this year.”

“Two Feet & A Heartbeat is a moment for those families to come together and honour the memory of their Heart Angel with people who understand what they have been through,” HeartKids CEO Marcus Sandmann said.

“We hope this inaugural walk in Newman will reflect the enthusiasm and strong sense of solidarity we are seeing in other locations every year and bring more impacted families the support and comfort they need.”