Following on from Harper's previous Just Giving pages raising money for Great Ormond Street...

Since August last year Harper has had episodes of vomiting which cause her to become very poorly. Because her condition caused all her organs to be formed on the wrong side of her body we were told before she was born that this type of vomiting could be a sign of a bowel obstruction, which is common in children with heterotaxy and needs surgery to correct. I took her to the GP explaining my concerns but was told she just had a virus, there was no way it could be a bowel obstruction. This carried on with her getting the sickness at least once a month and for me to be told she just had a virus. I asked the GP if Harper could be referred to have a barium study, the test that shows if there is an obstruction. I was told no, there was no need. Sick of seeing her so ill I pushed to see different GPs until finally one gave in an referred her to a consultant. The consultant then refused to do the study and wanted to leave her for a further 6 months before carrying out tests. She fell ill again on Wednesday, so I took her to A&E who also wanted to send us home because it was just a virus. I refused to leave until she'd had tests done. They done an x Ray said she was fine she only had a virus but she'd be kept in for monitoring and that they'd double check the x Ray results with a surgeon anyway. A few hours later I was told we were being blue lighted to the Evelina, for Harper to have the barium study and surgery should it be needed. The study showed not only a twisted bowel, but damage to intenstines and glands because this had been like it for far too long. They prepared her for surgery straight away..the surgery should have taken an hour. She was out 3 hours later as the bowel had twisted so much it took a lot longer to correct, they also had to cut away some of her intestines because they were too badly damaged and have her appendix removed. There is still damage that is beyond repair.

A message from Auntie Jade - This day last year (25th June 2015), Harper went in for open heart surgery @ Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. We put her life into the hands of Victor Tsang, who told us Harper's heart was so complicated it wouldn't be fixed in one operation. The operation that was supposed to take five hours, it took three and little did we all know, this man and his team were to fix Harper's Heart in that one operation and defy all odds. This was just the beginning though. Once again, Charlotte and Joe put Harper's life into the hands of Manasvi Upadhyaya on 24th June 2016 @ The Evelina Children's Hospital. After the surgery took three times as long, he explained to us that it was so severe and so much worse than we had all thought. These two men are the reason Harper is still here today. They need the recognition they deserve. How this little girl lives and smiles with so many problems that are unseen to the eye astounds me. Today is Harper's Heart day. Happy Heart day Harper!

"Don't feel sorry for me,
when you see what sits beneath my vest.
I battled and fought hard for this,
A medal engraved upon my chest.
Don't bully me, when you see,
I can't keep up in sport,
I'm stronger than you know,
I'm just tired from battles fought.
Don't define me, when you see,
That we don't look the same.
I'm not my heart condition,
So please call me by my name.
Be happy for me, when you see,
This medal I wear with pride.
For if I didn't have it then,
I would have surely died.
Be proud of me, when you see,
What sits beneath my vest.
Applaud all I have overcome,
That I've always done my best.
Befriend me, when you see,
The happy life I live,
This medal, it's stories to share,
And so much love to give.
Don't feel sorry for me, when you see,
What sits beneath my vest. 
This medal means I'm surviving,
And for that, I'm truly blessed."