Every Spring the Jayden DeLuca Foundation hosts two Masquerade Balls in memory of a little girl who made a tremendous impact during her short 2 1/2 years of life. Jayden Riley DeLuca was born with a congenital heart condition known as a single ventricle, causing her to undergo two major open heart surgeries and numerous clinical procedures before her devastating passing. Jayden’s life ended, but she is still making an impact on children all over the world through the nonprofit organization started because of her.

Jayden’s parents, Jeremy and Karalie, founded the Jayden DeLuca Foundation with the goal of helping other children and their families fight cardiac diseases and offer support and encouragement to all those affected by pediatric heart conditions.They also look to promote awareness of and to aid in further scientific and medical research of cardiac diseases. To help meet these goals they have partnered with and provide ongoing funding to Children’s Hospital Colorado, in Denver, CO and St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Boise, ID. They also sponsor events throughout the year and recognize adults dedicated to making advances in the area of pediatric heart disease and children suffering with this disease, the “Heart Heroes” of the world.

Congenital heart defects, or CHD’s, are the #1 birth defect in America, with nearly 1 in 100 babies born with it each year. Little is known about the cause of most of them and there is not yet a cure for any of them. In the United States, twice as many children die from congenital heart defects each year than from all forms of childhood cancer combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHD. Congenital heart defects occur frequently and are often life-threatening, yet research into them is grossly underfunded in relation to the prevalence of the disease. Since the founding of the Jayden DeLuca Foundation in 2008, death rates for congenital heart defects have declined by almost 30% due to advances made through research. There needs to be more research and time devoted to helping those who face this problem.

As Miesha Tate (former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion) shared with us all about the Jayden DeLuca Foundation, we knew right away this was the next non-profit we wanted to support by donating $1 from every Maeband pregnancy belly band purchased throughout the year of 2018. Maeband and Miesha Tate are now combining forces and inviting you to join with us by sharing their story, attending their events, and donating directly or through the purchase of a Maeband belly band.

http://jaydendelucafoundation.org

http://mieshatate.com