About CHERUBS

The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support.  CHERUBS is the original CDH non-profit organization founded in 1995 to help families and medical care providers of children born with CDH.   

CDH occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing abdominal organs into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth.   CDH occurs in 1 of every 2500 births; a baby born with CDH every 10 minutes. 50% of babies diagnosed with CDH do not survive.  The cause is not known.  Over a half million babies have been born with CDH since 2000.  CDH is as common as Spina Bifida and Cystic Fibrosis but there is very little awareness and even less research. CHERUBS is working hard to raise more CDH Awareness, and in turn, more CDH Research, while we continue to support families affected by this devastating birth defect. 

CHERUBS is the world's first, oldest, and largest CDH non-profit organization.  We are truly a grassroots organization - CDH families creating something out of nothing when there was no other CDH group, information and services in 1995.  CHERUBS was created to make sure that no family endures Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia without support or accurate information.  Our Board of Directors includes CDH parents, grandparents, survivors, nurses, doctors and the world's top CDH researchers. CHERUBS is run solely by volunteers and donations.  At CHERUBS, every CDH family has an opportunity to honor or remember our children while doing good to help others and work together as a CDH community. No other charity in the world has such a respected, educated or experienced group of leaders who care so much about the CDH community.

CHERUBS was not created by one family or for one family.   It was not created in honor or in memory of one child.   It is, and has always been, a group effort to help all families affected by Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.   It is built upon the experiences of CDH families, collaborations with CDH researchers and a strong desire to raise CDH awareness through projects and events created in honor and in memory of cherubs.   CHERUBS was named for all the babies lost to Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.