We are delighted to announce that our brand new, state-of-the-art cardiac catheterisation suite opened this week.  A HUGE thank you to Sargents Pies Charitable Foundation who funded the $3.4 million upgrade.  Cardiac catheterisation is a lot like keyhole surgery, a less invasive option than open-heart surgery.  It isn't always suitable, depending on what is wrong with a child's heart, but when it is, it means a much faster recovery time, which is a good thing for kids and their families.  This new suite also offers us the ability to perform full surgeries if need be. The Parramatta Sun interviewed the mother of one of our patients about it.  That story here. ...

On Sunday 18th October 2015, the Heart Centre for Children (HCfC) at The Children's Hospital at Westmead hosted the second annual Australian and New Zealand Fontan Registry Family Education Day. The HCfC Family Support Team was delighted to provide a workshop for young people who have had the Fontan operation and their siblings. Six young people participated in the day, which was jam-packed with a mix of education sessions and fun activities, as well as a few surprises! The interactive workshop provided an opportunity for young people to meet and share experiences with one another, while learning more about the Fontan operation in a fun and supportive environment. For photos, information about and feedback from the day - see our newsletter here. ...

Patients, families and allied health workers are invited to attend the Fontan Education Day 2015 to hear up to date information and research related to the Fontan circulation and life experiences. The Education Day will include presentations from specialists in paediatric and adult congenital heart disease focused on a range of topics including; long-term care after the Fontan operation, support services and how to access them, research updates and future research goals. The sessions will provide an opportunity for audience questions and discussion, with aspects of the program focused on patient insights and concurrent break-out sessions. The Education Day builds on the work of the Australian and New Zealand Fontan Registry, HCC2686 0815 the world's largest database collecting health information on children and adults who have had a Fontan procedure. The Fontan Registry includes a team of specialists and researchers working closely together to ensure patients and their fa...

The Kicking Goals for Sick Kids 24-hour Soccer Marathon is an annual event which aims to raise much needed funds for The Children's Hospital at Westmead.
Over the last 3 years, the event has contributed over $117,000 to purchase vital equipment for the Oncology Clinic and the Heart Centre at The Children's Hospital at Westmead.
The aim this is year is to raise over $50,000 (Just under $44,000 was raised last year), with all proceeds to be used to purchase life-saving and monitoring equipment within the Oncology clinic, Heart Centre and Neurology department.

Donations can be made at: https://give.everydayhero.com/au/kicking-goals-for-sick-kids

Click on Give Now at this link or at the top of the everyday hero page. You will receive an automated email with a donation receipt.

If you have any auction item, gifts for the kids or can donate any product or service, please feel free to contact George on 0404 473 533.

Thank you for your support.

Annabel, (Cardiac Physiologist at the Heart centre for Children) is in France to cycle 1500 kilometres from Strasbourg to Pau over ten days. In doing so, Annabel will also be raising funds for the Heart Centre for Children.

Please support Annabel by donating or simply sending her some well wishes by following this link: https://give.everydayhero.com/au/annabel-arnheim-heart-centre-for-children.

 

Holly is a young woman with a very special heart, but she has not let it hold her back from her passion for athletics, recently winning all sorts of medals at the national championships.  Read more about Holly's journey here.

A very big thank you to the Australian Islamic Mission who organised a bike ride from Katoomba to The Children's Hospital at Westmead earlier this year and raised a whopping $21,000!  The money is being put towards the Heart Lung Machine we need to enable us to perform life-saving surgeries on our tiny patients, so it will make a very big difference to many lives.  A/Prof Gary Sholler (pictured right) was delighted to have an opportunity to thank Sadiq (left) from the AIM in person earlier today.

We are always delighted to hear from patients and families about how they're doing, and loved getting this letter from Kaitlyn's parents recently (along with some photos of Kaitlyn competing at the Athletics Australia Youth Championships, finishing 6th in Australia for several of the under-14's events!).  Kaitlyn was born with Transposition of the Great Arteries and had an arterial switch when she was younger, and has gone on to become an incredible athlete.  As her parents said to us: "We are very proud of her.  Apart from her athletics, cross country she enjoys touch footy, netball, water skiing, camping and being a kid."   The letter from Kaitlyn's parents said: Dear Dr Sholler, Just thought we would share Kaitlyn's recent news with you.  Kaitlyn is now in Year 6 at primary school and is enjoying life, and in particular her sports and running. Kaitlyn competed in the All Schools 3km Cross Country at Eas...

On Sunday 18 October 2015, we will be hosting the national Fontan Education Day here at the Heart Centre for Children.  This is an all-day event for patients and families with Fontan circulations, and will include a wide range of speakers from the medical profession and wider community (including other patients and families).  More information will be available closer to the date.