We are delighted to welcome Charlotte Verrall into her new role as the Fontan Registry Coordinator.  Charlotte comes from the UK and has a science degree and several years' experience working with children and families.  She will work with us part-time, giving information to families about the Fontan Registry and coordinating relevant research projects.  For more information about the Fontan Registry, click here.

We are in need of more children's books for our waiting room (for kids and families to read while they're here, or purchase for $2, which goes towards purchasing new equipment for the Heart Centre).  Please feel free to drop or post books in anytime.  Contact Kylie on 02 9845 2326 if you can help in any way.  Thank you!!

The Color Run is coming to Sydney Olympic Park once again on Sunday 9 February and we will be there, raising money for the Heart Centre for Children.  We would love to have a few more people on our team, so sign up via The Color Run and look for our team, The Pacemakers.  The morning event has sold out so get in quick!  Tickets for the afternoon are on sale from Wednesday 15 January.  Please call Kylie on 9845 2326 if you have any questions.

Daniel, one of our heart transplant patients (whose story is available here) wrote to us to let us know that he got his P plates recently - and then sent us this great snapshot.  Congratulations, Daniel!  Drive safe.

Call for expressions of interest for PhD students who would like to research psychological aspects of paediatric heart disease. The Heart Centre for Children at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, in collaboration with the Australia and New Zealand Fontan Registry and Sydney Children’s Hospital, is seeking Expressions of Interest from individuals interested in completing a PhD in childhood heart disease research, specifically in the areas of psychology and quality of life. The full-time PhD would begin in March 2014, and be completed within 3 years with the support of an expert multidisciplinary team. EOI's should highlight the academic and/or clinical quality of the applicant and need not be accompanied by a project plan. However, if the applicant would like to suggest a particular project that is aimed at extending or translating evidence-based care for infants, children and young people diagnosed with heart disease and their families, this is also invited....

Rachel and Mathew lost their 10-year-old daughter Madi to heart disease in 2011 and miss her every day, but they are turning a tragedy into a drive to prevent other families from experiencing the same loss through raising money for research.  The Heart Centre for Children is working hard to understand Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), the causes of it, different treatment options and how to support families in their journey.  To find out more about Madi and her family's fundraising quest, and to donate, head to In Memory of Madi.  For more about our research programme, visit Kids Heart Research.

William was just 38 hours old when he underwent his first heart surgery.  In his short life he has undergone three heart surgeries at the Heart Centre for Children – culminating in the Fontan procedure which he had last year. Now, at six years of age, his mother Lisa Chamberlin says he is a completely different child, who is active and loves to run around with his brother. William is one of over 900 children and adults who are taking part in the largest heart study of its kind in the world, the Fontan Registry and who, this month is hoping to raise awareness of the registry during a campaign called ‘Fontan for Life’ which aims to raise $200,000 for the registry. The Fontan procedure is a lifesaving medical technique used to treat children born with certain serious heart defects. The procedure involves restructuring the heart so that it can operate effectively using only one ventricle, or pumping chamber, as opposed to two. The Fontan procedure is relative...

The Children's Hospital at Westmead is looking for volunteers to help with sibling care.  This is a service that we offer families so that siblings of patients can have some time out, playing games, doing craft activities and meeting other kids.  It really helps to be able to give parents a little bit of time to meet with doctors, surgeons and other hospital teams when they need to.  Kids can be in sibling care for an hour or half a day or more, and range from toddlers to pre-teens. The volunteers department is particularly looking for someone who can work Wednesday and Thursday afternoons in sibling care, and would prefer someone with childcare experience.  But they're always looking for help in all sorts of areas, such as escorting families around the hospital to help them find their way, running the volunteer shop or market day, or helping a department with administration work. If you can spare some time, please get in contact with the Volun...