Princess Mary awards Danish Heart Association Grants

Crown Princess Mary yesterday was at Danfoss University, handing out the Danish Heart Association’s research grants for 2009.

Wearing a crisp white and beige outfit, the Princess did so in her capacity as patron of the Heart Association, and awarded three grants of 456,000DKK to three Danes in the field of health: Kirsten Hanehøj from the National Institute of Public Health, who is investigating the consequences of congenital heart defects for women who will become pregnant; Dr Lars Idorn from the Rigshospitalet, who is exploring the complications that can occur in children born with only one heart ventricle; and Dr Jø Dønding Andreasen from the Aarhus University Hospital, who will examine new methods to improve the diagnosis and promt treatment of children with congential heart defects.

After awarding the grants, Princess Mary also got the opportunity to spend some time with the children the Heart Association helps; going with them to the University’s park for some playtime. She helped young ‘heart child’ Cecilie Marie to spray water out of the ground through a solar-panel sunflower, while some of the other children ran around in the water.

Crown Princess Mary has been patron of the Danish Heart Association since January 2005, when she took over the patronage from her father-in-law, Prince Henrik. The Heart Association is no doubt a cause close to Mary, as her mother Henrietta died in 1997 following complications that arose from heart surgery.

Click here to read more about the event, and Mary’s patronage of the Association.

Filed under Denmark
Tagged Awards, Children, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Health, Patronage.