Will you help children with complex heart conditions?
What does it take to mend three holes in the heart of an eight-week-old baby?
For baby Millie (pictured above), who was treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, it took complex surgery that required extraordinary precision, cutting-edge equipment and coordinated expert care.
We’re upgrading two cardiac theatres at GOSH with the OR1™ AIR system, to give more children like Millie the best chance and the best childhood possible. These upgrades will feature:
- Special ceiling arms to hold equipment and keep the theatre floor clear
- Precise surgical documentation in ultra-high-definition
- High-definition audio and video directly from the operating room
- Bright surgery lights to show every detail during delicate operations
- Audio talkback to allow valuable collaborations between surgeons
- High-definition cameras and screens that show clear, real-time imagery
Your support today could help fund these advanced surgical equipment upgrades, which will support GOSH’s highly skilled surgeons and enhance the precision of cardiac surgery. This will mean better outcomes, fewer complications and faster recovery times for patients like Millie.
Meet Millie
Soon after Millie was born, her parents, Roxy and Owen, noticed that something wasn’t quite right.
After taking her to the GP, they learned that a small open vessel in Millie’s heart was the only reason she was still alive. Millie had been born with undiagnosed hypoplastic left heart syndrome, one of the most severe congenital heart defects in children.
She was immediately referred to GOSH for urgent open-heart surgery. The operation was a success, but her body didn’t agree with the stent. After five very scary cardiac arrests, Millie’s team was able to put a smaller stent in place.
Millie spent three months at GOSH before she was able to go home. Her mum, Roxy, shares how the incredible hospital teams supported her daughter: “Everyone at GOSH looked after Millie so well. I knew she was safe, and our experience was amazing. You never felt like you were on your own. Everyone at GOSH made Millie’s childhood the best it could be.”
Every day in the UK, around 13 babies like Millie are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect*, and around 8,770 children are treated for heart conditions annually**.
With your gift, we can fund the cutting-edge equipment and technology that will help to give seriously ill kids childhoods that are fuller, funner and longer.
Please show your support today.
Other ways to give
By phone: 0330 002 1514
By post: GOSH Charity, Bumpers Way, Bumpers Farm, Chippenham, SN14 6NG
Donations up to £20,000 will be used to fund the upgrade of two cardiac theatres at Great Ormond Street Hospital. In the event that we cannot use your donation as originally intended, (e.g. costs change, additional funds are received over and above our target, the needs of the hospital or patients change, or the project is no longer deliverable), we reserve the right to redirect funds for use in accordance with the charitable objects of Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.
*British Heart Foundation
**Children’s Heart Federation