Our story begins on the 12th December 2002 when my first child Joshua James Gooch was born.
Joshua was perfect in every way. Our bubble was burst by our GP at Joshua's routine 6 week check when he heard a heart murmur. The worst fear for every parent is that something may be wrong with your child and for me this was that moment.
Joshua was refered to the wonderful Great Ormond Street Hospital and diagnosed with the Heart Condition Aortic Stenosis which thickens the Aortic Valve, restricting blood flow causing risk of heart failure and sudden death. He was admitted for Balloon Vulvoplasty (procedure which opens the defective valve) on the 9th June 2003. The procedure went well and after 3 hours he was returned to us. Complications arose however and Joshua has developed Aortic Regurgitation which is in essence a 'Leaky Valve'. He will need at some point in the future open heart surgery to replace the valve and for us it is a waiting game, constantly watching Joshua for any signs of heart failure. I could not have gotten through all of this without Heartline. This has been harder to deal with than I could have possibly imagined for both myself, my family and most of all Joshua. Heartline provided support, guidance and advice and the opportunity to get to know other people in the same situation. For now Joshua is fit and well and I see this as my opportunity to give a little back to this amazing charity who make life more bareable for families such as mine, so please give a little (or a lot) to help support this amazing charity.Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
