At CHSF, we a so grateful witness countless inspiring stories of strength and resilience from children and their families as they navigate the challenges of congenital heart conditions.
Sonny is just one of those children…
Sonny’s dad, Adam, writes:
“Our son Sonny has tricuspid atresia.
“He is now 8 and had his Fontan procedure on 19th May of this year.
“Thankfully Sonny made a very good recovery and was able to leave hospital two weeks later. He has continued recovering well.
“On the 2nd September we went to Hutfest which is a running event. Sonny entered the children’s fun run and managed to complete the 1 mile distance!
“This was a huge milestone for Sonny. Prior to his surgery, he struggled to walk up the stairs in our house without getting out of breath.
“Me and my wife, Caroline, are forever grateful to all the staff on Ward L51, especially to Miss Carin Van Doorn who carried out the procedure.
“Finally thank you to Children’s Heart Surgery Fund who helped us massively with the accommodation during the early days of surgery, plus being there on the ward regularly with gifts and entertainment.
“We just wanted to say a big thank you!”
We’re sure you’ll join us in celebrating Sonny’s extraordinary milestone, made possible by our amazing Leeds Congenital Heart Unit and the generous contributions of our CHSF supporters.
Well done, Sonny. Always keep going for gold!
CHSF nominated in Smiley Charity Film Awards
CHSF needs your votes in the Smiley Charity Film Awards 2026! Children’s Heart Surgery Fund is up for an award in the Smiley Charity Film Awards 2026, the world’s leading campaign celebrating films for good, and is calling on the public to vote and help their film...
Nelly’s Grand Year
After Nelly’s Tetralogy of Fallot repair in September 2024 her parents wanted to give back, so took on the ‘Have a Grand 2025’ fundraising challenge with the aim of raising £1,000. They opened their JustGiving page in January 2025 and by the end of the year raised an...
Support for families: December 2025
During the month of December... 38 referrals received for targeted Family Support 39 families engaged with 11 young people and their families worked with and supported 337 families supported in 2025 As we look back on the year, we reflect with pride on what the Family...