Shani was born with a large hole in her heart and no valve linking her heart to her lungs. Great Ormond Street implanted a tiny Gore-Tex tube into her heart where the valve should have been to start to repair and normalize her circulation. Sadly, at 20 months Shani suffered from heart failure and her family were told that she would not recover.
Yet, remarkably, over the next four years, Shani grew into a lively little girl, with a "magic heart". She was a bossy, cheeky, funny, clever and beautiful girl who lived a full and busy life despite her physical limitations.
In the last few months of her life however, her oxygen levels depleted further, and the doctors decided to operate - tragically, Shani did not survive the surgery.
We now want to find a way to make Shani's memory into a blessing and help Great Ormond Street to help improve the health and life chances of children with heart conditions and give them the chance to live full and happy lives.
Thank you for your support.
Juliet, Simon, Joel and Tammy
