“After 7 weeks in hospital, we are finally home with our little girl – Honey.

 

“Honey has been through more in her first 7 weeks of life than most of us will in a lifetime.

 

“Born with a heart defect – coarctated aorta – she’s battled a chest infection, a stomach infection, and a 6-hour open heart surgery to repair her heart.

Coarctation of the aorta means part of the main artery in the body is narrower than it should be. The narrowing stops blood from flowing as easily as it should, so the heart has to work harder to pump blood through the body. This can cause the left ventricle (one of your heart’s main pumping chambers) to become thicker and your heart to become weaker.

“Through it all she has shown a strength that we can only describe as incredible. She will have a scar, but that scar will always be a testament to her bravery and how hard she has fought from day one. We couldn’t be prouder of her.

 

“We want to publicly thank all of the amazing staff at Leeds Children’s Hospital who cared for her over the past 7 weeks. You truly are unbelievable at what you do. A special thank you to Dr Jaber, who performed the life-saving operation that has given her the chance to live a long and healthy life.

“We’re also so grateful to the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund for their support, and to our close friends and family who have helped us more than they probably realise during this time.

 

“Now we’re finally home, we can start being a normal family and focus on what really matters – making memories together.”

— Honey’s parents, Connor & Kate

Because of you, we can keep being there for heart heroes like Honey and their families.

By making a donation to CHSF you are ensuring vital funding to the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit and personalised support to families when they need us most.

Be a hero for…LOCHIE!

Be a hero for…LOCHIE!

Lochie Blue is 2 years old and lives in Silsden near Keighley. He was diagnosed at 10 days old with Coarctation of the aorta, Ventricular septal defect (VSD) and Atrial septal defect (ASD). Lochie and his family will be at this year's Superhero Walk and we spoke to...

Jessica

Jessica

Jessica Thomas, 13, excels at dancing after overcoming heart defect A teenager who had an eight-hour open heart operation at just six months old has been described as 'inspirational' after excelling as a dancer.Jessica doesn't let her heart condition hold her back....

Simon

Simon

Simon from Scunthorpe was born in the the early 80's with congenital heart disease. He was diagnosed with a heart murmur and a hole in his heart when he was six. But it wasn’t until a few years later, after developing an infection, that Simon, his family and doctors...