Crocheting or knitting red hats for newborns and participating in walks is how the American Heart Association is calling attention to congenital heart defects, but what has been done is not enough.

Little Hats, Big Hearts started February 2014 in Chicago, where 300 hats were collected to be given to infants battling these types of defects, but the idea has spread and is now being promoted in 33 states, according to the American Heart Association.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40,000 babies in the United States are born with a congenital heart defect every year. A congenital heart defect is the result of the heart or blood vessels near the heart developing abnormally during the gestation period, according to the American Heart Association.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute reports that defects include the interior walls of the heart, the valves inside the heart and the arteries and veins that carry the blood to the heart or body.

In their first year of life, 25 percent of babies diagnosed with congenital heart defects could be subjected to a number of life-sustaining surgeries, which is a significant amount of trauma to put a small body through.

Reported by the CDC, the total number of hospital costs in 2011 for those dealing with treatment and recovery as a result of congenital heart defects was $1.8 million. The families of the patients have enough stress on them without trying to figure out how they are going to pay for their loved one’s treatment.

To help alleviate this problem is a Congenital Heart Walk, which takes place across the United States. In 2015, more than 50,000 people turned out in the 25 cities across the nation to show their support and reach the goal of raising money to cover research and patient programs.

Since 2006, the fund-raising walk has garnered more than $6 million, according to the Congenital Heart Walk National Office.

Though all of this progress is moving us a step closer to preventing any loss of life because of congenital heart defects, there is still more work to be done. Between 1994 and 2005, 83 percent of infants with a congenital heart defect survived past their first year, compared to the 67 percent of infants who did not between 1979 and 1993,  according to the CDC.

The percentage of length of life is increasing, but what about the other 17 percent who were not lucky enough to live until their first birthday?

The effects of congenital heart defects also extend past infants. In the United States, more than one million adults are living with congenital heart defects, and they have to pay attention to certain aspects of their day-to-day life. Things such as the type of birth control they take, what to do during a pregnancy, health insurance and employment are all affected, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Organizations such as Little Hats, Big Hearts and the Congenital Heart Walk are doing their part to spread the message of the severity of congenital heart defects in infants and adults, but these numbers show that it is still not enough. Contributing to organizations like these is necessary to help put a stop to deaths and treatment families pay for as a result of congenital heart defects.