Thanks to your donations, CHSF have funded a series of regional children’s congenital cardiac nurses (CCNS) in local hospitals in recent years.
One such CCNS is Paula Cowgill, based at the Calderdale Royal in Halifax, who has a special thank you for CHSF supporters.
Paula recently received a set of 10 Alivecor KardiaMobile devices to help the local patients she looks after. And they are producing fantastic results!
Kardia devices enable patients to monitor their heart rhythms at home using their mobile phone and then email or text the results to the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit.
And thanks to Tesco, CHSF were able to fund 40 of these devices throughout 2024.
Issuing patients with these devices is a more efficient approach to monitoring their hearts, removing the need for a hospital stay and providing an alternative to coming to hospital for their tests.
Paula had this special thank you for CHSF supporters: She said:
“We currently have 7 of the Alivecor devices in use with our paediatric patients. This has led to one prompt diagnosis and treatment of an abnormal heart rhythm to the relief of the young person and his parents.
“The other devices are enabling remote monitoring, reassuring patients that their symptoms at that time are not related to the heart.”
The team at Calderdale also received a set of reward stickers, designed in-house by CHSF’s fab Digital Marketing Manager Olivia, to help young patients with their appointments:
Paula added:
“The stickers are loved by most of our younger patients, and are given to everyone who wants one. It’s a positive reward given at end of the clinic experience and makes the child feel proud of their achievement.”
A huge thank you to Paula and all the local CCNS’s across our region for the fabulous job they do supporting our young people and families!
And thank you to everyone who supports CHSF with donations, spreading the word about our vital cause and making sure patients with congenital heart disease across our region receive the best possible treatment. We couldn’t do this without you!
It is only with your support that we can keep funding vital and life-changing projects for our heart unit, patients and families.
Because of you: INR Kit Feedback
Thanks to your amazing fundraising, Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF) are able to purchase INR home testing kits for heart patients of all ages. The Leeds Warfarin Clinic ran an anonymous survey earlier this year to get feedback on INR machines amongst young...
Support for families: January 2025
At CHSF, we know that a hospital stay can be overwhelming, and the impact of congenital heart disease (CHD) extends beyond medical treatment. That’s why our Family Support team is there to provide practical assistance, wellbeing support and moments of respite to...
Cot mobiles, mirrors and coloured paper for L51 Play Team
The Ward 51 Play Specialist team wanted to thank you for helping fund a set of cot mobiles and mirrors to help with play and stimulation amongst the youngest of patients. They also received sets of coloured paper for use in bunting, reward charts and making mobiles...