Four year old James has already had three life-saving heart surgeries at Leeds Congenital Heart Unit.
When Jet Aire Services staff learned of how their colleague Chris and his family had been supported by CHSF, they made a plan to start fundraising…
James in hospital as a baby
James has had three open heart surgeries
Why did Jet Aire choose to fundraise of Children’s Heart Surgery Fund?
Jet Aire Services Managing Director Darren Pavan said: “There are lots of charities who are all deserving causes in their own right, but this one is very close to home for us and deciding to adopt CHSF as our nominated charity for the year is our way of saying thank you for the help they have given to Chris and Laura and hundreds of other families.
James has undergone so much at such a young age, and he is an inspiration to all of us. I’m confident our staff right across the business will all throw their weight behind this fundraising effort and help Chris and Laura smash their target.”
Drainage engineer Chris Beckett and his partner Laura have worked closely with Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF) over the last four years after their son James was born six weeks prematurely weighing just 4lbs 13oz with serious heart issues.
His condition was quickly diagnosed as being Truncus Arteriousis and within the first few days of his life, James underwent lifesaving open heart surgery. He has since had two more similar procedures and will face more as he gets older.
Laura said: “James has had three open heart surgeries, two stents put in, numerous scans and MRIs. He is going to need more heart surgery in the future. He is a complex little boy who has an unsafe swallow so is nil by mouth and fed via gastrostomy. He has focal seizures and absences, he has hearing loss, an issue with left eye, he uses makaton to communicate as he is non-verbal. He can’t open his jaw so he is going to need an operation to fix this issue.”
“There is a strong possibility he is going to need a tracheostomy as there is concern about his airway. Despite all this he is such a loving child, is absolutely thriving at school and is an absolute pleasure to be around.”
How has CHSF helped James and friends/family specifically?
Laura added “Children’s Heart Surgery Fund help us in so many ways and continue to do so. They provide parent accommodation in the hospital so that we could be close to James and be with him in a few minutes if he became unwell.”
Laura and Chris with James and his sister Abigail at Jet Aire Services
“CHSF provided financial support as we were in hospital a long time and this is very expensive. They offer continual emotional support as well as organising things like Christmas parties which create so many memories for families. During the pandemic CHSF have offered numerous activities, coffee mornings etc via Zoom.”
“From a medical point of view, much of the specialist, state of the art equipment they use on the ward at Leeds Children’s Hospital is funded by the charity so any donations are put to good use.”
What fundraising have Jet Aire and the Beckett family completed for CHSF, and do you have any other fundraising planned?
Jet Aire will be arranging various fundraising events for staff over the coming months, and brave James will act as an inspiration to them all as he continues to make great progress, despite his complex health issues.
The team started their fundraising by raffling off two tickets for Leeds United’s first home game of the season against Everton at Elland Road – and have lots more in the pipeline over the next few weeks.
Ian Willis, Marketing Manager for Jet Aire Services, added: “Our operations manager Lee Whitear is from a military background, so he has various events up his sleeve to get our team involved in!”
“I know he is taking about doing the Hadrian’s Wall challenge, where walkers navigate their way from Cumbria across to Tyneside – he is always on the lookout for things like Tough Mudder and other similar endurance events. He doesn’t realise that most of us aren’t as fit as him, but it’s all for a good cause and James is an inspiration for us all to get involved.”
James with John Flower, one of Jet Aire’s longest serving engineers
“The idea is to run the fundraisers over the course of the year and see how much we can raise for CHSF. Some events will be more challenging than others, but as a company we’re determined to get as much as we can for a fantastic cause.”
A huge thank you to Jet Aire Services and the Beckett family for your fantastic support so far – all the best for future fundraising! #BecauseOfYou
Feeling inspired?
Could you step up to the challenge and start fundraising for CHSF? We’ve got lots of events to choose from at chsf.org.uk/events
Got your own idea? Want to try something different? We’re always on hand to discuss your corporate fundraising email caitlin.hazell@chsf.org.uk or call 0113 831 4810
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