All eligible donations will help this project receive a larger portion of this campaign's $750,000 incentive fund
as part of
the
2024 GivingTuesday campaign!
until December 3, 2024, at 23:59:59 EST
By Katie Lawson | Team, Tiny Tickers
Thank you so much for your past support of those facing congenital heart disease.
Today is Giving Tuesday, and we're writing to ask if you would once again consider helping us to support a heart family.
Today, and every day, 12 babies will be born with congenital heart disease (CHD). This Giving Tuesday 12 families will face the dangerous, unrelenting and indiscriminate foe that is congenital heart disease, but now in the added context of a global pandemic.
Imagine going to your 20-week pregnancy scan and finding out your unborn baby has a serious, life-threatening heart condition. Then imagine your baby is born and needs to have surgery within the first few days of life.
Now imagine all of the above, but having to face these challenges alone because of coronavirus restrictions. You have to attend your 20-week scan alone. You receive the devastating news of your baby’s diagnosis without the physical support of your partner or a friend or family member in the room. Then, while your baby is undergoing surgery in hospital, only you can stay with them. Imagine that the nurses and other healthcare professionals can’t give you a hug or even squeeze your hand, because we’re in the midst of a global pandemic.
During the past nine months, around 2,000 women have received a suspected diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) at their 20-week scan, alone. Usually, up to 10 babies have an operation to fix their heart every day. Although the number of planned surgeries has reduced during the pandemic, hundreds of babies will still have had heart surgery during the past nine months, with parents and families separated during hospital stays.
Danielle's first son, Lennox, was born with a serious heart defect, which wasn't diagnosed until he was three days old - and already critically ill. Danielle and her husband Joe watched in horror as doctors fought to save his life. Luckily, they did. Lennox had open heart surgery and is now a happy, energetic two year old.
Two years later, Danielle was overjoyed to find out she was pregnant again. However, she and Joe were absolutely devastated by the news that this baby has a serious heart condition too. She says, “We were obviously so upset and I was just truly gutted. The one thing I had been saying during this pregnancy was that I just couldn’t wait to take my healthy baby home and enjoy all the newborn moments with no anxiety.”
As if their journey hasn't been hard enough, they've had to deal with their baby's diagnosis in the middle of a global pandemic. Danielle was initially given the news at her 20 week-scan, which she had to attend alone, while Joe waited in the car park. The family face a long hospital stay when their baby is born, but with current Covid restrictions, only one parent is currently allowed at their child's bedside at a time.
Families like Danielle and Joe's need our support more than ever.
They need information and advice they can trust and support from a community that knows what they are going through. They need to know someone is there for them during their darkest hours.
Tiny Tickers does all those things and more.
We can make sure parents know they’re not alone - that we and the heart community are always here for them. That’s why we’ve created hug buttons to give parents a virtual hug when they need it. They can take this button with them into hospital and to appointments to remind them that they’re not alone. It can be given to siblings, placed under pillows, or kept in pockets.
A £10 donation, will provide one family with a virtual hug. Your donation will enable us to send one of our family support packs to a heart family, along with a hug button. And when you make your donation, you can also leave a message of support for that family.
Please help us to continue being there for them.
This Giving Tuesday, your £10 donation will help us send a support pack to a family who has just received the life-changing news that their baby has a serious heart condition. This package includes all the information they need about what they face, access to our supportive communities of heart parents and a hug button - so they can receive a virtual hug whenever they need it.
Nothing beats the power of a hug. Please help us send a virtual hug to a heart family today.
With warmest wishes,
Team Tiny Tickers
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