Story
Please join us in raising funds for the Tiny Tickers charity. Tiny Tickers heart week runs between 7th – 14th February each year.
This charity is tiny with just 12 members of staff - but they make a massive difference. Most of us don’t realise the limitations of routine pregnancy screening at the 20 week scan. Most of us don’t realise how many babies actually have congenital heart defects (CHD) or how many are missed in pregnancy. We do - as our daughter Molly was missed.
Tiny Tickers strive to ensure every baby with CHD can be detected as soon as medically possible. They don’t want any newborns leaving hospital with an undetected condition that could have been spotted. Their work really resonates with us as we had such a difficult 10 months ourselves until Molly was able to secure her diagnosis. We know how challenging it is to get the right help and support when you leave hospital in an NHS system that is under so much strain. We were very fortunate Molly was able to receive surgery in time.
Around 1% of babies are actually born with CHD. That’s around 6,000 newborns each year. Around 50% of those with CHD are spotted during pregnancy. In some parts of the UK detection rates are around 25%. These figures are far too low. On average around 1,000 newborns leave hospitals every year with no one realising they have a life-threatening heart condition – just like we did. CHD accounts for up to 12% of all infant deaths – that’s more than 1 in 10.
We’ve researched a lot of charities and we know Tiny Tickers make a real difference;
They've provided thousands of sonographers with face-to-face training, they host online training and webinars and they provide training resources to hospitals. They continue training throughout the UK to reach as many hospitals as regularly as possible.
They fund equipment and support new technologies to improve detection, diagnosis and treatment of CHD. They've placed over 500 pulse oximetry machines in maternity units across the UK. This test is not actually performed as standard in the UK.
They provide families with information, advice and access to support during their CHD journey.
They influence service standards and are a voice for CHD patients and their families.
Their staff are committed and dedicated - many have first hand experience of family members having CHD.
They do all the above with a very limited budget. Please join us and help. Please just chuck in £1 if you can.