Help babies with serious heart conditions

"We are hopeful and feeling very positive. Lennox and Sonny are SO excited to be big brothers." - Joe

Brothers Lennox and Sonny were both born with serious heart conditions. Lennox's heart defect, aortic stenosis, wasn't diagnosed until he was in heart failure. His little brother Sonny's condition, hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), was detected antenatally.

The boys' dad, Joe, says, "We have experienced both early detection and no early detection and therefore feel passionate about sharing our story. We feel we are in a unique position to be able to help others. We also feel that had we known the signs before having Lennox, we most definitely would have caught it sooner."

The family has raised £15,000 for Tiny Tickers, making such a difference for the future of all heart babies. We can't thank them enough for everything they do.

The couple are now expecting their third, heart healthy, child.

Everyone at Tiny Tickers continues to be inspired and humbled by their dedication to helping other children with CHD.

How Tiny Tickers helps children like Lennox & Sonny

Links:

• Read the Heart Brothers story here

Training sonographers to have the skills and confidence to detect heart defects at pregnancy scans is a core part of our work.

Why? Because we want babies with serious heart conditions to get the treatment they need as early as possible. We want them to get the right care at the right time. We want them to have the best chance of survival and a good quality of life.

By spotting a baby's heart defect before they are born, they will receive the care they need from that point onwards, and their family can prepare for the journey ahead. 53.5% of all congenital heart defects are now detected prenatally in the UK - this is more than double the detection rate than when Tiny Tickers started training in 1999.

However, there is still much to be done. We are working hard, alongside our incredible NHS colleagues, to improve outcomes for heart babies.

We won't stop fighting for tiny hearts.

With warmest wishes,
Anne Rhodes,
Deputy CEO and Head of Health Professional Services

Fetal cardiac study day 

Last month, we held a fetal cardiac study day for sonographers in collaboration with the North West CHD network, Alder Hey Children's Hospital Trust and Liverpool Women's Hospital. The event was sponsored by GE Healthcare and was free for the sonographers who attended.

The morning session consisted of lectures and during the afternoon, sonographers had hands-on training, facilitated by the cardiac team.

Watch the video here to join our Project Support Officer, Abby, on the day! Join her in the lectures and see our trainers at work as they deliver the hands-on-training.

Skye's Story 

"If Skye’s condition was detected prenatally – or even a few weeks/months after her birth – her story would have been a whole lot different." 

Skye’s very serious heart defects went undiagnosed for a terrifying 19 months.

Her mums, Clara and Susie, voiced their concerns to health professionals many times. "Skye’s first few months at home were HARD. She was an unhappy little baby, with what we were told was ‘colic.’ She would cry and scream through most evenings. She was always very small and really struggled to gain weight."

Valentine's Day is a special day for Skye's family, because it's the anniversary of the day Skye's heart murmur was detected, which led to eventual diagnosis and surgery.

Thankfully, Skye is now thriving. Clara and Susie have shared their story to help ensure no other parents have to go through what they did.

Read Skye's's story here. The story discusses surgery and contains post-surgery images.

Links:

• Find out more about our work and impact