Meet Oliver from Hull who was born with a heart condition called Tetralogy of fallot.
Thanks to the life-saving work of the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit, Oliver is thriving and has been able to pursue art as a hobby and, more recently, a career in finance!
Now 22, Oliver shares his journey with CHD so far and how he has supported CHSF with his family to say ‘thank you’ for the care he received in Leeds…
“I was born with Tetralogy of fallot and had open heart surgery when I was a year old.
“When I was sixteen, I had my second open heart surgery to replace one of my valves and I now have an annual heart scan to check how my heart is doing.
“Throughout my life, my family have done many casino nights and coffee mornings to raise money for Children’s Heart Surgery Fund.
Oliver had his first open heart surgery at Leeds wheen he was just a year old.
Oliver and his brother share a passion for art so arranged a fundraiser for CHSF where they raffled off a drawing commision as part of a Coffee Morning,
“In 2022, I worked with my brother to arrange our own fundraising coffee morning, which was a great success. As part of our coffee morning, we held a raffle for a drawing commission done by me and my brother, since we are both passionate about art.
“I started at Arco in 2021 as a finance apprentice, and I passed my level 2 AAT Foundation certificate in accounting apprenticeship at the start of 2023. Most recently, I started the level 3 qualification of AAT in September of 2023.
“My apprenticeship and job have greatly helped develop my confidence and I enjoy the range of tasks that I do within the Transaction Team of Arco’s Finance department.”
We’re really grateful to Oliver for sharing his story with us. It is so inspiring for young heart patients and families to see a young adult doing so well.
We are of course also so thankful to Oliver and his family for their continued support of CHSF!
15 amazing heart stories to round-up Heart Month
You not only raised significant donations for CHSF in and around February for Heart Month, but with your help we communicated our cause loud and clear to every corner of the region through your stories! Here’s a round-up of just some of the blogs and local news which...
Grant’s Jump for Joseph
CHSF supporter Grant Houldsworth is dad to heart hero Joseph, and is taking part in our 15,000ft Skydive to thank "all the people who played a part in saving my son’s life". When Joseph was a week old, the family found out he had Coarctation of the Aorta and two...
Luca’s Story
When Luca was born, mum Emma and dad Michael discovered Luca had a very loud heart murmur. The day after, they were transferred from Jimmy’s to the Leeds Children’s Hospital for a heart scan. It was then when they received the congenital heart disease (CHD) diagnosis...
Running for a Reason: Louise
Bradford-based adult patient Louise McCormick received open heart surgery aged 7 at Killingbeck Hospital. Now 41, Louise celebrated her 40th year by completing an enviable set of running fundraisers for CHSF in 2024. She isn’t taking her foot of the pedal this year...
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...
Alfie’s Story
17-year old Alfie’s family found out he had congenital heart disease (CHD) when he was just 2 months old. Following multiple procedures, Alfie is now enjoying life both as a teenager and keen LUFC supporter, as mum Kirsty tells us: “Alfie was only 7 weeks old when we...