DIANE Szabo wants you to know that congenital heart defects are the world’s most common birth defects, affecting 12 babies in New Zealand every week. She knows what that means, because her baby Pierce was one of them.
“I was about three months pregnant when I found about, and I was seeing a specialist at the time who said he had six other patients with the same thing. It’s really common and it’s so sad because we do lose a few. We were told our son might not make it and had to face a whole lot of decisions. The pediatrician told me every week, “You know you can have an abortion”. I turned around one day and said, “Can you fix it?” He said, “Yes”, and I said, “Well don’t ever ask me that again”. My son is the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she says.
Szabo is part of an organisation called Heart Children, who offer support, advice, and an understanding ear to those living with childhood heart disease. She’s currently recruiting teams for the Heart Stopper Challenge, where costume-clad teams of four to six submerge themselves in spa pools of icy water for five minutes, raising money and awareness for Heart Children.
“This is like what happens to heart children when they have their operations. Before open heart surgery they put ice around the heart cavity to slow the heart rate down,” she explains.
What began as the idea of a ‘heart mother’ seven years ago is now a nationwide event.
Szabo’s understandably passionate about the cause.
“When I found out Pierce had a heart defect I had no idea about heart children and how many there were. We’re not asking people to donate their worldly goods, just to up people’s understanding a bit,” she says.
There’s something else she hopes to achieve through the event – beating Auckland.
“Last year Auckland beat us, and we’re usually the winners. Wellington’s usually really good, it’s such a huge community and somebody usually knows somebody who has a child with a heart condition,” she says.  
The event usually pulls a big crowd of supporters, and there’ll be face painting and bouncy castles, too.
“It’s so much fun. Every year I say I won’t organize it again, and then I do – I’ve done it for five years now. It’s a real family event.”
Considering the number of operations Pierce has gone through, his first at just four days old, Szabo is relentlessly optimistic.
“Sometimes if I have five minutes to myself I will pull my car aside and have a good cry. I was asked a while back what was it like at the very beginning, and I just don’t know. Without the support of Heart Children, I couldn’t have done it. They saved my life,” she says.
Take five minutes to help babies born with heart defects (and beat the Auckland team), at www.heartstopper.org.nz.  
Heart Stopper Challenge 2011, Frank Kitts Park, May 14.