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!


Christmas Wishes: Our famous fish tank
Watch our full 2024 Christmas appeal video here.Thanks to your “fin”-tastic fundraising, CHSF has been able to fund Ward 51’s famous fishtank for many years. Children use the tank as a goal to walk towards while recovering from surgery, while others simply love...
Christmas Wishes: Katie Bears and Medals
Watch our full 2024 Christmas appeal video here.Thanks to your amazing fundraising, Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF) are able to give Katie Bears, medals and certificates to every baby and child who has open heart surgery at Leeds As the following blog shows, this...
Christmas Wishes: Life saving Sonography training
Watch our full 2024 Christmas appeal video here."On the 7th Day of Christmas, our nurses really need – life saving training!" Thanks to your donations, Rosie Brakefield was appointed as Lead Cardiac Physiologist for the Yorkshire and Humber Congenital Heart Disease...