At Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, we believe there’s always more we can do for our sick kids and that’s why we will always strive to do more for our patients and families. It’s our mission to raise the vital funds needed to make a real difference to all who use our hospital.Your support empowers us to take innovative approaches to treating some of the sickest children in the UK. Your fundraising enables us to make our hospital feel just like home. Your donations are helping us to find new ways to treat and cure childhood diseases.

BCH allowed us 8 beautiful weeks and 4 days with our Arlo-Aaron. Born with just 3 quarters of his heart. Arlo was diagnosed with Congenital Heart Defects in Utro at 20 Weeks gestation, we was offered to Medically Terminate our pregnancy as Arlo was considered 'Incompatable with Life' and would be a Failure to Thrive but BCH offered us a way out, a 3 stage Palliative Surgery, this meant we could carry in our pregnancy, birth our beautiful 6lb 6oz14.5 boy on the 2nd July 2019 at 3.59AM and watch him grow into his own personality, feel the warmth of his skin as blood ran through his veins, feel his heart beat in its own imperfect way, hear him cry - all the things we would not have been able to do, hear or see if we took what was said to be out only option. On the 12th of July 2019, Arlo underwent his first stage Palliative Open Heart Surgery at 10 days old - Successful. Arlo was sent back to ward 11 just 5 days after his surgery and 5 days after that we was sent home to enjoy our new life and partially corrected cardiac baby.

Arlo had his 8 weeks injection's on the 26th August 2019 later that day, he became unwell which is the norm for any baby but he became so restless and had a continuous high pitched cry which then led to him being low on his oxygen (normal heart baby's have oxygen levels of 80-100% - Arlo's had to remain at 75-85 anything higher or lower was dangerous for him) his was at 65% this meant that Arlo's blood oxygen levels was dangerously low. We stayed in hospital for 5 days, on the 5th day at 3PM we wanted a trip to Morrison's to get a few bits as we was being discharged after we got Arlo's levels at a reasonable state. 

At 4.53PM, I told the doctors that doing CPR on Arlo was no longer efficient and our little boy very unexpectedly and suddenly passed away in my arms.

Arlo was silently suffering from Bilateral Bronchopneumonia ( Double Pneumonia) and ultimately his heart could not deal with the silent infection and he suffered a major Arrythmegenic Cardiac Death (Arrythmia courses a Cardiac Arrest) and he sadly passed away at 8 weeks & 4 days old.