The Beads of Courage Congenital Heart program is a creative and empowering way for your child to record, own and tell their treatment stories. From IV starts and tests to surgeries, office visits and personal milestones, each bead helps your child tell their story of courage, healing and hope.
Beads of Courage for Congenital Heart Patients
What is Beads of Courage?
Beads of Courage is a national program that helps children with certain medical conditions recognize and remember important moments in their care journey. Each bead represents a procedure, treatment, milestone or personal victory, giving children and families a meaningful way to see how far they’ve come.
Every Bead Represents a Step in Your Child’s Journey
When children enroll, they receive a Beads of Courage Bead prescription card with a guide for what each bead is and its meaning. They begin with beads that spell their name and other significant beads. As they move through care, they earn beads for each experience, given by their care team. Over time, these beads help children and teens see, share and take pride in their story of courage.
Beads for Procedures, Tests and Treatments
As your child moves through heart care, they may receive beads to recognize experiences like IV starts, blood draws, imaging, office visits, procedures and surgeries.
Milestone and Personal Victories
Beads can also recognize progress along the way, big milestones, recovery goals and special moments that are important to your child and your family.
Building a Story of Strength
Over time, each bead becomes part of a story your child can see and hold – a reminder of how much they’ve been through and how far they’ve come.
Supporting Children and Families Through Heart Care
Congenital heart care can bring fear, uncertainty and exhaustion. Beads of Courage helps turn those moments into something visible and meaningful. Each bead honors your child’s bravery and helps your family reflect on progress over time. Together, the beads tell a story of strength, healing and hope, recognizing both the hard days and the victories along the way.
Stories from Our Heart Warrior Families
“I fell in love with the idea behind Beads of Courage immediately. In a time of uncertainty and fear with our heart warrior, these beads signified the strength, bravery and resilience of our sweet baby.”
– Blakely’s mom
“[My beads] are very special to me because they show all I have been through.”
– Emery
Safety and Parent Guidance
Because the beads are small, they are considered a choking hazard for young children. Families receive this information when they enroll, and the warning also appears on the prescription card used for refills. Parents always have the right to decline participation.
When beads are given out, they are sealed in a bag and shared with parental supervision or handed directly to a parent. Beads of Courage also performs quality and safety inspections on its beads.
Ready to enroll in Beads of Courage?
To find out if you qualify to participate in Beads of Courage, complete the enrollment form below. This simple step helps connect your family with the program.
Made Possible Through Community Support
Beads of Courage for children receiving congenital heart care is made possible through support from OSF HealthCare Foundation. Gifts from our community help more families take part in this meaningful program.
If you would like to support this work, you can make a gift through OSF HealthCare Foundation.