In this blog, Zephyr’s parents Phil and Poppy share their family’s journey from an AVSD diagnosis at the 20‑week scan through premature birth, hospital stays and surgery, to getting Zephyr ready to head home.
He also reflects on the practical support Children’s Heart Surgery Fund provided along the way, from time on the ward to help for the whole family.
“We found out about Zephyr’s Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) at our 20 week scan.
“We didn’t truly know how to process for the diagnosis, but we knew from day one that we weren’t going to let it stop us raising the most awesome little man possible.
“Zephyr was born 7 weeks early and spent 5 weeks in neonatal care. We had him at home with us for around a month and a half before we had to take him to hospital due to some respiratory issues.
“Fast forward 5 months, two separate long hospital stays, one pulmonary artery band surgery and taking things slow and steady with recovery – we are finally ready to get Zephyr home to his eagerly awaiting big sister, Aurora.
“Zephyr still needs his full AVSD fix but we could not have gotten through our journey without Children’s Heart Surgery Fund!
“CHSF have helped in more ways than they will ever know – from travel grants, Tesco vouchers, Cardiac Cafés, Wellbeing trollies on the ward, funded family activities and Zephyr’s Katie Bear – to just general weekly check-ins and catch ups from Sarah and the Family Support team.
“A special thank you to Sarah for always making sure we had everything we needed, nothing was ever too big or too small to ask.”
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