Family Fun and Raising Hope for Tiny Hearts are Hallmarks of The Magic of Hope 2013 Fundraiser

DALLAS, Sept. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chloe Duyck Memorial Fund, part of the Cardiopulmonary Research Science and Technology Institute (CRSTI), will be holding its annual fundraiser, this year titled The Magic of Hope: Raising Hope 4 Tiny Hearts 2013 (http://magicofhope.com), at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas on Saturday, September 21.

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Named for Chloe Michelle Duyck who succumbed to hypoplastic left heart syndrome four days after her birth, the fund (http://hope4tinyhearts.com/) is dedicated to raising awareness of congenital heart defects and funding research. The Magic of Hope event highlights include the following:

• Performance by renowned magician and illusionist Mike Super, winner of NBC's hit TV show "Phenomenon" and voted "America's Favorite Mystifier"
• Face painting and other family-friendly activities
• Raffle
• Silent auction

"Events like this are so important. Heart defects are the leading cause of birth defect-related deaths, yet this area of medicine is grossly underfunded," said founder Michelle Duyck. Among those who have stepped up to resolve the problem are the fundraiser's sponsors: Dr. Chad McDuffie (ENT); SolTek Spine, LLC; North Dallas Bank & Trust Co.; Dr. Kevin Burns; Colby Red; Chef Eric Shelton; Valiant Anesthesia Associates; Mission Mickey and Medical City Children's Hospital. Additionally, individuals and organizations can still donate items for the silent auction (http://magicofhope.com/silent-auction-donations).

Ticket information is available at http://magicofhope.com. "Since we cannot celebrate Chloe's birthday, we do something so that other heart children may celebrate theirs," said Duyck. "We all can make a difference."

About the Chloe Duyck Memorial Fund

According to the American Heart Association, one million Americans have a congenital heart defect. Recent research reports one out of every 85 babies are born with heart defects each year in the U.S. And, nearly twice as many children die from congenital heart disease in the U.S. each year as die from all forms of childhood cancers combined. Michelle Duyck says, "We had no idea that heart defects were the most common and most fatal of all birth defects until we lost Chloe during open heart surgery. That was our eye-opener and called us to action. We look forward to a day when more children survive these serious heart defects and that's why we continue to try and raise big hope for these tiny hearts."

The Chloe Duyck Memorial Fund was established for Chloe by her parents Michelle and Joel Duyck in 2005. Chloe was born on August 30, 2004, and lost her short battle with a congenital heart defect known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), on September 3, 2004. Chloe had endured two open-heart surgeries as well as several other procedures to try and save her life, but to no avail. The Chloe Duyck Memorial Fund was established to support research in the field of congenital heart disease. The fund is part of the Cardiopulmonary Research Science and Technology Institute (CRSTI), 501(c)3 not for profit organization.

Contact:

Michelle Duyck
Chloe Duyck Memorial Fund
Email
http://hope4tinyhearts.com/

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SOURCE The Chloe Duyck Memorial Fund