WHEREAS, The health and well-being of every child in the State of Washington is of paramount importance; and

WHEREAS, This year in the United States, 40,000 babies will be born with holes inside the walls of their heart; leaky heart valves; missing, misplaced, or poorly formed blood vessels and heart chambers; and other heart structure issues, collectively known as congenital heart defects; and

WHEREAS, 25 percent of these babies born with congenital heart defects will undergo heart surgeries and other interventions just to survive; and

WHEREAS, Congenital heart defects are responsible for more deaths than any other birth defect, accounting for 1 percent of all deaths and often occurring when the baby is less than 28 days old; and

WHEREAS, More than half of babies born with congenital heart defects are undiagnosed before birth, and others are not diagnosed until years later; and

WHEREAS, If a baby's mother, father, or sibling has a congenital heart defect, the baby's risk of being born with a congenital heart defect increases by three times, making up almost 20 percent of all cases; and

WHEREAS, There is a need to continue supporting medical research to gain a better understanding of how to recognize symptoms of congenital heart defects; and

WHEREAS, Improved treatments and interventions have given congenital heart defect patients a better chance at survival, and 85 percent of babies born with congenital heart defects now live to at least 18 years of age, resulting in more adults today with congenital heart defects than there are babies; and

WHEREAS, Adults with congenital heart defects face risky lifelong health problems, including developmental delays, heart rhythm problems, heart failure, sudden cardiac arrest, and stroke; and

WHEREAS, Three year old Camden, who has already undergone seven surgeries, including two major open heart surgeries, was born with a congenital heart defect in June of 2011 and told in March of last year that he would not live to see his third birthday; against all odds, Camden is on his way to his fourth birthday this year; and

WHEREAS, The International Children's Medical Alliance and the American Academy of Pediatrics recognize the week of February 7th to February 14th as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week, offering the opportunity for affected families and patients to share their experiences with the public in order to raise awareness and remember the lives of lost loved ones;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives, in honor of the bravery of Camden and others like him, support the observance of the week of February 7, 2015, to February 14, 2015, as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week.