Young heart patient Isabel has inspired a huge donation of £7,861 from Welcome Break Charitable Fund to Leeds-based Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF).
Isabel’s dad Kevin Morris works for Welcome Break as a Brand Excellence Coach, and he put CHSF’s name forwards to the Welcome Break Charitable Fund for a monetary award following the care his family have received at the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit (LCHU).
The donation will help to pay for key parts of CHSF’s Family Support service over a 12-month period. This will include family events giving opportunities for peer support amongst affected families, care and comfort packs for families of in-patients at Leeds, ward resources, arts and crafts, and the Katie Bear toys, medals and certificates every child patient receives after surgery.
Nicola Marshall, People Director at Welcome Break said:
“The Welcome Break Charitable Fund Community Grants are a testament to our commitment of supporting the communities we serve.
“We are delighted to see the positive impact these grants have on local organisations and are proud to support them to help them to continue the wonderful work that they do.
We encourage more community groups and charities to apply for our next round of funding in 2026 so that we can continue to make a meaningful difference together.”
Isabel was born 4 weeks premature in November 2013 with a range of serious and complex heart defects (Tetralogy of Fallot, Double Outlet Right Ventricle and Ventricular Septal Defect). She underwent a 4-hour open heart surgery at the LCHU at just three months old.
The family themselves have raised over £20,000 for CHSF since. Amongst other activities, mum Natalie has managed regular event stalls, Kevin runs the Sheffield Half Marathon every year for CHSF and Isabel has fundraised through charity walks and more recently her school’s colour run.
As well as having congenital heart disease, Isabel is also Autistic with Sensory Processing Disorder and Global Delay, but Kevin says her daughter is always on the move.
Mr Morris said:
“Currently Isabel is keeping further surgery at bay by being very active and having lots of energy. We’ve been told several times of this wasn’t the case she’d have needed surgery by now. So all these charity walks are paying off!
“I was more than happy to nominate CHSF for a grant award from Welcome Break Charitable Fund, as the charity needs financial help to deliver the family support services and NHS resources that we experienced.
“What inspires us to help as a family after all these years of fundraising is that Isabel will once again need more surgery and that we will once again need to rely on having accommodation to be close to Isabel during her hospital stay, and the other support provided by CHSF.”
As the Morris family are from Creswell in North Derbyshire, the parent accommodation which CHSF provide at Leeds was hugely beneficial to the family while Isabel was treated.
CHSF’s Family Support Service also offer tailored wellbeing, financial and practical support for families during their child’s hospitalisation, and the charity provide life-saving medical equipment, ward resources, staff training, scientific research and new clinical roles across the region.
Ruth Davany, CEO of Children’s Heart Surgery Fund, said:
“This generous donation from the Welcome Break Charitable Fund means so much to us – and to the families we support.
“Isabel’s journey is a powerful reminder of why our Family Support service exists, and we’re incredibly touched that her story has inspired this gift.
“We’re deeply thankful to Kevin and the Morris family for their amazing fundraising, and everyone at Welcome Break for helping us be there for families when they need us most.”
Does your workplace have a charitable foundation?
We’d love it if you could nominate us to receive a donation. Let us know at info@chsf.org.uk
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