“Still strong. Let’s raise awareness for Congenital Heart Defects 2016!”

The oldest surviving person in the tristate area (27-years-old) with hypo-plastic left heart syndrome and the first Latino in the United States to survive the illness, Kenneth Castano, is lending his experience with the disease to raise awareness of Congenital Heart Defects or CHD.

On February 3rd, 2016 Castano posted a video on his Facebook page urging his followers to post questions in honor of Congenital Heart Defects awareness week 2016.

CHD Awareness Week is an annual awareness effort to help educate the public about congenital heart defects, the number-one birth defect that affects approximately one in every 125 babies every year in the United States alone.

Castano will answer the questions posted on his facebook page on February 7th and “give you that little bit of hope that can make a huge difference.”