About the Beat Retreat

The Beat Retreat is a program of the Canadian Congenital Heart Alliance (CCHA). The goal of the retreat is to give adults with congenital heart defects (CHD) an opportunity to benefit from a “camp experience”.

CHD is the world’s leading birth defect. About 1 in 80-100 Canadian children are born with CHD. Fifty year go, few made it past their teens. Now, more than 90% make it to adulthood – resulting in a growing population of young adults who require life-long cardiac care.

Unfortunately, adults who survive CHD often miss out on the life experiences enjoyed by their peers and tend to lead a more sedentary, dependant lifestyle – often due to anxiety, a lack of confidence, financial hardship, or a lack of public understanding.

Research has also found that children with CHD who go to camp not only have a better perception of their physical functioning, but are better equipped to deal with the psycho-social challenges of CHD. It is our belief that adults who go to camp will enjoy the same benefits.

Our goal is to provide CHD patients with an affordable opportunity to:

• meet and share life experiences with other CHD survivors,
• try new activities,
• explore the limits of their condition,
• build confidence in their physical abilities,
• build lasting friendships, and
• have a weekend of fun.