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On the 13th September last year, at 6 months old, our daughter Wren received life-saving cardiac surgery at Leicester Royal Infirmary. We knew at 26 weeks of the pregnancy that Wren had the congenital heart defect Tetralogy of Fallot, and would need corrective surgeries throughout her life. Amazingly for us, Leicester is home to the East Midlands Paediatric Cardiac centre, so we were in great hands from the very start.

Tetralogy of Fallot is a surprisingly common, and therefore well understood condition, affecting 5-7% of all those born with heart disease. It is a combination of four defects, which contribute to less oxygen being taken around the body, and without surgical treatment would be fatal.

We were incredibly lucky that Wren had a moderate level of the condition, meaning for the first 3 months of her life although we were under weekly observations from the fab community team, she showed no symptoms whatsoever. However from that point on she started having 'spells', where her blood oxygen would drop and she would turn bluey grey and have trouble catching her breath. Although scary, these were generally pretty manageable with medication, until at 6 months old we were called for her surgery.

It's crazy thinking back to it now. The fear of open heart surgery for our small little being, but also the hopeful anticipation of a life without spells afterwards.

Her surgery went incredibly well, and although her recovery wasn't without a few anxiety-inducing bumps in the road, we were home after 14 days, on Wren's 7 month 'birthday'. The LRI was amazing, and for us, being given accommodation for Nick throughout that time was one of the most impactful elements of how it all felt possible for us to manage as a family. Heart Link is a children's charity based in Leicester, founded to support children with CHD and their families. They do this through various means - fundraising tirelessly to procure trailblazing and lifesaving equipment for the PICU, creating spaces for parents and families to take a break on the wards, and crucially, to fund rooms in local hotels and hospital accommodation so parents can remain 'on site' during their child's hospitalisation. The value we gained from being able to have a hot shower, a place to escape to, a cosy bed for a few nights, and for us not to have to travel the 2 hour round trip every day whilst being unsure of Wren's progress, was just absolutely priceless. It meant we could really 'show up' for her, and both be available at any given time.

A year on, Wren is now able to just have annual check-ups at the LRI and is doing amazingly well. You would never know what she has been through! We will always be eternally grateful for the silent but invaluable support we received from Heart Link and want to be able to afford that same security and financial help to other parents facing the scariness of open heart surgery for their children.

Throughout September we will be fundraising for Heart Link by selling chocolate and beetroot cakes at the Blonde Beet, with 100% of profits going to the charity. But we know some of our supporters might want to donate even though they might be unable to get involved in the cakes themselves!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.