Thanks for taking the time to visit our Just Giving page. Janice, Ade, Ashley, Hannah Claire and Rachel very much appreciate it.

Well this is our 5th year at trying to get the much needed funds for this great cause. We raised a whopping £2,703.00 the first year and another £2,003.00 the 2nd year and also £1500.00 from O2, the 3rd year we made £1,905.00 and a kind donation again of £1,500.00 from O2, the 4th year we raised £1,927.00, plus all the gift aid we have made amounting to £1,677.75. This year we have raised a whopping £2,155.17 which makes a grand total of £15,370.97 raised so far, so we are doing a fantastic job so far, smashing our £15,000.00 target, SO A HUGE THANKS AND WELL DONE TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. 

We're doing 'The anything goes Fancy Dress again this year'. Sam loved to dress up and loved to see others dressed up too, the sillier the better, so was a fitting idea. We then had the mammoth task of trying to work out what to call this walk and after a few ideas were thrown about, Ade came up with 'Sam Tandy's smile a mile walk', as he didn't do sad and we wanted it to be fitting for him, hence the smile bit.

We'll be doing it on the 13th of April (the day before his 21st birthday) if anyone wants to join us. Its 5 miles and starts at 11.30pm at The Old Mill and will finish in The Crown pub in Alverthorpe at around 5 - 6pm. Were calling in at a few pit stops to shake our buckets and maybe have a very quick drink on route, so bring some drinking money.  Anyone is welcome, or if you prefer you can donate on here.

As some of you already know, Sam had a bad heart ever since he was born, but didn’t let that bring him down. He was always bright and cheerful and always had a smile for everyone; he always saw the best in people.

Sam had visited the LGI since he was 5years old as was diagnosed with a mitral valve prolapse (a leaky valve in his heart), which often left him feeling tired. The consultant Dr Parsons always saw him personally and Sam always enjoyed seeing him, it was never a chore going for his checkups. The nurses on both ward 10 and at the paediatric station were always really good to him. He especially enjoyed the play room as it had computers and play stations in there. One particular nurse, Mike, who also did activities with the teens, asked Sam if he wanted to go away for the weekend with other kids his age, to create a website for children of all ages with heart problems. He jumped at the chance and really enjoyed himself in Centre parks. He also went with Mike for a tour of the Yorkshire TV studios in Leeds, which he loved. Because of people such as Mike and the charity, Sam was able to be himself in spite of his medical problems. He was never in danger as there were nurses with them at all times. He'd just made it onto the waiting list for his heart op a few days before he passed and told the consultant he couldn’t do the op before he got to see 'Queen' at the O2 in London, but he never got there. He died due to one of his arteries bursting and was taken from us suddenly on the 31st of October 2008.

The Children's Heart Surgery Fund is a registered charity based at the Yorkshire Heart Centre within the LGI covering Yorkshire, Humberside and the North Midlands. If it wasn't for the people from The Heart Surgery Fund, Sam and others like him wouldn't have a proper life. They need life saving equipment, such as a 3D Echo System for the Paediatric Cardiology Department at a cost of £135,000. This machine is a vital piece of equipment in diagnosing congenital heart disease from an early age, not to mention other equipment. It will also help fund home testing INR kits to test the amount of warfarin in the blood, reducing time away from school.

Please help to give each child a childhood and dream to give them adulthood too.

 

 

The children's Heart Surgery Fund help

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