Story
Alder Hey is an important place to us as a family. Summer was born, unbeknown to us, with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). In January 2021, when Summer was 4-month-old, she was diagnosed with a large Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). Simply put, a large hole in her heart. After 2 weeks in the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, she was transferred to Alder Hey where she underwent her first heart surgery. She had a Pulmonary Artery (PA) Band fitted that would be in place until her next surgery.
In August this year, Summer underwent a further operation which saw the surgeons and intervention cardiologists remove the PA band, and partially close the hole in her heart. While at Alder Hey, she spent time in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) where she had one-on-one care from the ICU nurses, and spent time on ward 1C where she was looked after by the cardiac specialist team.The care we received while at Alder Hey was second-to-none. Not only did they look after Summer, they also looked after us and reassured us the whole time we were there. Summer will be back at Alder Hey soon to have her pulmonary artery widened, and a further review of the residual hole in her heart.
We want to continue to support the charity so that they can continue making their hospital the centre of excellence that it is, expanding on what they do now and continue offering first class support and lifesaving care to all the families who need it.
As an ambassador, Summer has committed to raise awareness and funds for the charity. This year she has done a fantastic job of raising money and as the year draws to a close, Summer’s final fundraiser will see her become Santa’s Little Helper.
From today, we have placed our very own Santa Claus Postbox outside our house. She hopes by collecting and sending all of her neighbours letters to Santa, and helping to deliver his replies, she will be able to raise some more money and end the year on a high. The idea is that the children can use the post box to post their letters to The North Pole, and once Santa Claus has received and read the letters, he will send a reply back which Santa’s little helper, Summer, will help deliver for him 🎅🏼 All you need to do is make sure your address is on the back on the envelope so Santa can write back ✍🏼
Donations aren’t a must, and all letters with addresses will be replied to 🎅🏼💌 but we do hope that you will consider making a small donation to support Summer and Alder Hey.
Even if you don’t wish for a reply, please do use the post box and let your children post theirs.
Once you donate, JustGiving will send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Thank you and Merry Christmas!