Project Report
| Nov 11, 2020
Happy 21st birthday to us!
By Katie, Aimee, Kym, Vicky, Jon & Anne | Team Tiny Tickers
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On the 8th November 1999, Professor Helena Gardiner founded Tiny Tickers when she realised many of the babies she was caring for could have been helped earlier.
Tiny Tickers is now on a slightly different path to the one we were expecting as 2020 – our 20th anniversary year – rang in. Although the UK is currently facing a huge public health emergency, a baby is still born with a serious heart condition every 2 hours. That fact remains. We are here to help.
Please support us and help us celebrate 21 years of helping tiny hearts. Any donation, no matter how small, will make a big difference and help us continue our vital work. Heart babies and their families have never needed us more than they do now.
Our future remains unclear. We are on a different path to the one we were expecting in 2020 - but our intended destination remains the same - a better place for babies with poorly hearts.
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Sep 29, 2020
Today is World Heart Day.
By Katie Lawson | Head of Fundraising & Comms
![Jon & Zoe]()
Jon & Zoe
Today is a day to celebrate & honour all those with congenital heart disease, their families, & the health professionals who look after them. 
And of course you! Without your support we wouldn't be able to do what we do.
Here are the smiling faces of Jon (CEO of Tiny Tickers) & Zoe. Zoe's heart story has a happy ending. But it's important to remember not all do. CHD is responsible for up to 1 in 13 of all infant deaths. That harrowing statistic drives all we do here at Tiny Tickers. Today we are reflecting on that and redoubling our efforts to help save lives.
Jon says: "My beautiful daughter, born with a great big hole in the middle of her heart. 8.5 hours of surgery to sew things up & construct new valves. We are forever grateful for the NHS heroes who saved her life."
Thank you for your support, today and always,
From all at Tiny Tickers
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1 in 125
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Sep 8, 2020
First ever world guidelines for sonographers launched.
By Jon Arnold | Heart Parent & Chief Executive
![Zoe]()
Zoe
We were delighted to have been involved in this important research project, led by Dr Judith Johnson & the University of Leeds, to create the first ever world guidelines for sonographers communicating unexpected news during pregancy scans. I shared my own experiences on BBC Breakfast last month. You can catch up here.
This project has meant a lot to me as I have personal experience of being a parent being on the receiving end of unexpected news – my daughter’s heart defect was first spotted at my wife’s 20 week pregnancy scan.
The way you are told about your baby’s potential condition can have a profound impact on what follows and how you as expectant parents cope with it. Our sonographer did a good job – she was honest, clear and compassionate in the way she told us about our unborn baby’s heart.
At Tiny Tickers, we hear the full range of experiences from the families we support, and also hear from sonographers about how tough it is to suddenly come across a possible problem and have to let expectant parents know without any time to prepare.
This research project has seen sonographers, psychologists, charities and parents with lived experience combine to create the world’s first set of guidelines to help sonographers with the really, really challenging task of communicating unexpected news. It’s really important work and we’re delighted to have been involved.
We are so grateful to all of you who support us week in, week out, month after month. Your support means we are able to do so much more to help babies with serious heart conditions, their families, and the NHS heroes who look after them.
Thank you for reading,
Jon
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