Story
Updated on Feb 27th 2012 at 7:53 PM from the JustGiving API
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<p><span style="color: #0000ff;">Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">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.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">So please dig deep and donate now.</span></p> <p><br><strong><em><span style="color: #008000;">The Expedition</span></em></strong></p> <p><em><span style="color: #008000;">On the 19th January 2013 we will be setting off on a 18 day trek to climb Mount Everest Base Camp. Our trek will take us to both Everest Base Camp and the nearby peak of Kala Pattar (5545metre high) for spectacular views of Mount Everest. </span></em></p> <p><em><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">Our Story</span></strong><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #800080;"> </span></em></p> <p><em><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #800080;">Why GUCH? (Grown Up Congenital Heart Disease Association)<br> <br> GUCH has supported Dave since the age of 19 and will go on being his support network for the rest of his life.<br> <br> When Dave was born he had congenital heart disease. ‘Transposition of the great vessels’. This means there is decreased oxygen in the blood that is pumped from the heart to the rest of the body. <br> <br> In normal hearts, blood that returns from the body goes through the right side of the heart and pulmonary artery to the lungs to get oxygen. The blood then comes back to the left side of the heart and travels out the aorta to the body.<br> In transposition of the great vessels, the blood goes to the lungs, picks up oxygen, returns to the heart, and then flow’s right back to the lungs without ever going to the body. Blood from the body returns to the heart and goes back to the body without ever picking up oxygen in the lungs. Symptoms appear at birth or very soon afterward. <br> <br> A surgical procedure called an ‘arterial switch’ is used to permanently correct the problem within the baby's first week of life. This surgery switches the great arteries back to the normal position and keeps the coronary arteries attached to the aorta.<br> <br> After Sugary - The Babys symptoms will improve to correct the defect. Most infants who undergo arterial switch do not have symptoms after surgery and live normal lives. If corrective surgery is not performed, the life expectancy is only months.<br> <br> Dave is lucky enough that his operation was successful. When the surgery took place it was very new and his chance of surviving was a low as 20%. At 2 days old Dave was operated on at Great Ormond Street children’s hospital where he had open heart sugary. Spending 10 days in intensive care he recovered remarkably quickly.<br> <br> Every year Dave visited Great Ormond Street hospital for routine check-ups on his heart. He underwent ECG tests. Every 2 years he had to have a more in depth check-up including ECCO, ECG, MRI and a fitness test. <br> <br> When Dave reached the age of 19 he left Great Ormond Street and carried on his routine checkups at the GUCH heart hospital London UCL. Daves check-ups will carry on along with the 24hr support that he has got from GUCH for the rest of his life and if Dave ever needed further treatment for his heart GUCH will be there with him every step of the way.</span></em></p> <p> </p>