When a child needs to receive medical care far from home, every kilometer becomes an added burden for their family. The En Cœur Foundation is there to help ease this weight by providing financial support for travel expenses.
Other public programs may also be able to help (CSSS, CLSC, Transportation–lodging). Our role is to complement these resources and support you in finding the assistance you need.
Together, we want to bring you a bit more lightness along the road to heart care. For more information, please contact the social worker responsible for your case.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Accommodation support is offered to all families of children with heart disease in the event of a stay required for surgeries, hospitalizations and examinations related to the child’s heart condition.
Parking
The En Coeur Foundation provides financial support to parents of children with heart disease, to help them pay parking costs during their child’s stay at the hospital.
Grocery card
The Foundation can help you with grocery costs to ease the financial burden while your child with heart disease is hospitalized.
Gas card
The Foundation can help you with gasoline costs to ease the financial burden while your child with heart disease is hospitalized.
Travel expenses
Travel expenses can be paid by the Foundation. This service aims to help families in the regions cover gasoline expenses in order to get to their child’s appointments.
Purchases and loans of medical equipment
Donations received allow the loan and purchase of medical equipment for families with a child with heart disease (stethoscopes, therapeutic bears, Cardiomemos, CardioStats, AED external defibrillators, CoaguCheks, fetal Dopplers, breast pumps and tubes, pulse oximeters, etc.)
Meal voucher
The meal vouchers offered by the Foundation are a second-tier support and aim to help families who have to cover food expenses during the hospitalization of their child.
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Participants share in a group their experiences and reality as parents of children with heart defects, in a space marked by respect, kindness and solidarity. Open group of 90 minutes led by 2 social workers.
Learning that your child has a heart defect, knowing that his health is fragile and that he will therefore never be like the others, is a shock for many parents.
The En Coeur community is here for you ♥ The PARENTS community is a private group supervised by the En Coeur Foundation team which aims to be a place for exchange, support and mutual aid between parents.
Individual support and guidance meetings for parents of children with heart disease.
Offer groups to adolescents and preadolescents to help them normalize their condition by meeting other children facing cardiac issues. Involve parents in this format to facilitate the flow of information between parents and teens, and to provide close support to the youth when needed.
To share and discuss your experiences as grandparents of children with heart disease, alongside other grandparents facing the same reality, in a space grounded in respect, kindness, and solidarity.
The En Cœur Foundation is pleased to introduce a new newsletter dedicated exclusively to the services available to parents of children living with heart disease.
In it, you’ll find information about our support groups, resources, activities, and services designed to support you and your family at different stages of your journey.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
We are proud to announce the release of Cœur de citron, a children’s book created in collaboration with KO Éditions, written by Frédérique Hamel and illustrated by Sara Prune, available in bookstores starting February 11, 2026.
The story introduces Léon, a sparkling little lemon who must undergo heart surgery, surrounded by a loving family and a colorful medical team.
Inspired by the story of Éléonore, a young ambassador of the Fondation En Cœur, the book includes a foreword by Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse as well as a lemonade recipe created by Loounie.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Fondation En Cœur, which will also provide the book to families in hospitals.
La clé du cœur: A Podcast on Living with Congenital Heart Disease
Hosted by Patricia Demers, who herself has undergone three heart surgeries, the series gives a voice to patients and experts in order to highlight the medical and human journeys of those living with a congenital heart condition.
A podcast about life with congenital heart disease designed to help people better understand, raise awareness, and provide support — and above all, to bring forward voices that are too often unheard.
The series is funded by the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation, the En Cœur Foundation, and the Special Projects Fund of the Vice-Rectorate for Research, Discovery, Creation and Innovation at the Université de Montréal.
The En Cœur Foundation has decided to stop issuing Info-Cœur cards. This decision is related to several factors, including the protection of personal information and the manual steps required to print the card in its current format.
Given that current technologies allow us to obtain a similar electronic version, we suggest following the steps* below to add the information to your smartphone and thus create a medical record accessible at all times.
An instrument used by cardiologists to clearly illustrate your child’s heart condition and add personalized notes when needed.
Created by cardiologists Shubhayan Sanatani and Carolina Escudero from the Stollery Children’s Hospital, this guide explains the surgical process—particularly the ablation procedure—in a clear, concise, and child-friendly way to help young patients understand each step.
The En Cœur Foundation provided the translation to make this resource accessible to all families.
Over the years, En Cœur has participated in the publication of a large number of documents intended for children with heart disease and their families. These are available at the Foundation as well as in the cardiology departments of the various hospitals.
The En Cœur Foundation, in collaboration with cardiologists, has developed a downloadable form specifically designed for parents of children living with heart disease.
This tool aims to facilitate communication between families and the school environment. By filling out this form, parents can easily and clearly share essential information about their child’s condition with school staff (teachers, educators, administrators, etc.).
With this document, school staff will be better equipped to understand the child’s reality, respond to their specific needs, and ensure a safe and supportive environment.