A red Valentine’s heart will beat a little louder in East London this month, not in a hospital ward but on the sand and sidewalks of Nahoon, where families, doctors, survivors and “heart angels” will gather to walk for the tiniest patients of all.
On Valentine’s Day, February 14, Heart Kids SA will turn the beachfront into a gentle sea of red as they host a 5km run and walk from the Lifesavers Shack, starting at 8am.
There will be no pressure to race and no finish-line clock ticking down seconds. Instead, the pace will be set by conversation, remembrance and shared hope, as prams, wheelchairs and running shoes hit the tarred road side by side along the promenade.
The event takes place during Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week, observed globally from February 7 to 14, and aims to shine a light on the world’s most common birth defect — one that still remains largely invisible for many South African families.
Congenital heart defects are structural problems in the heart that develop before birth, affecting the walls, valves or major vessels.
They range from mild conditions requiring monitoring to life-threatening defects that demand urgent surgery.
For parents, the diagnosis often arrives suddenly, in the fragile first days of life, when a baby who appeared perfectly healthy is rushed into specialised care.
Heart Kids SA was founded in 2014 by families and friends of children born with congenital heart defects, united by a simple belief. In East London, that support carries particular weight.
The city has no resident peadiatric cardiologist, which means families often wait months for visiting specialists from Cape Town and must travel long distances when surgery is required.
While other parents are choosing nursery colours and baby clothes, these families are arranging transport, accommodation and time off work around the possibility of open-heart surgery hundreds of kilometres away.
Nahoon was chosen as the venue for its safety, accessibility and familiarity, a place where children can run freely and parents can breathe.
“Congenital heart defects are the number one birth defect globally, yet they are seldom spoken about,” Heart Kids SA’s Charlotte Lombard said.
“In South Africa, an estimated 11,000 babies are born with congenital heart defects every year.
“Thousands require surgery, yet in the public sector fewer than a quarter receive the intervention they need.”
Lombard said more than 3,000 children annually either died or lived with preventable disability.
Against those stark figures, a 5km walk may seem small, but for families who live with these realities daily, it is an act of defiance against silence and statistics.
Among those walking this Valentine’s Day will be 15-year-old congenital heart defect survivor, Baylee Lightfoot.
Born at Frere Hospital and appearing healthy, Baylee was diagnosed with multiple heart defects just days later.
At only 10 days old, she underwent life-saving open-heart surgery at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
A decade later, she returned to theatre for further corrective surgery, another hurdle in a journey that has shaped, but never defined her.
Today, she is a first-team U16 hockey player at Cambridge High, a competitive hip-hop dancer and a teenager who refuses to be known only for her scars.
For parents standing at the start line, watching Baylee laugh with friends or race her younger brother along the promenade may offer more reassurance than any medical pamphlet ever could.
National waiting lists for congenital heart surgery stretch into the thousands, a reminder of how much work still lies ahead.
“This Valentine’s walk is not a fundraiser, but a conversation starter.
“[It’s about] awareness, whether that means lobbying for resources, or recognising warning signs in a newborn,” Lombard said.
Though the event does not raise funds directly, Heart Kids SA relies on donations and self-funded initiatives to provide care packs, information and emotional support. Baylee’s mother, Tracy Lightfoot, says awareness events like this can change lives.
“I look forward to seeing the parents of children who have been in the same situation,” Lightfoot said. “There isn’t enough awareness shared about this condition. It’s not as widely spoken about as other childhood illnesses, but awareness can make a real difference. If Heart Kids SA can reach just one parent and help them know what to look for, it can change that parent’s or child’s life.” said Lightfoot
