Posted in Patients
Posted by Manoj Kookkal
on 18 August 2015
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...
Posted by Kylie Flament
on 16 April 2015
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.
Posted by Kylie Flament
on 25 March 2015
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...
Posted by Kylie Flament
on 9 March 2015
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.
Posted by Kylie Flament
on 29 September 2014
One of our little patients, Eli, was on 7 News on Friday with his Mum, Elissa. Eli has cardiomyopathy and is likely to need a heart transplant. Elissa and our very own Dr Phil Roberts are encouraging families to talk about organ donation and what they would want if the worst were to happen to one of them or their children - in the hope that we can increase organ donation rates in Australia and give little guys like Eli a second chance.
Watch the video here:
Posted by Kylie Flament
on 5 August 2014
Mohammad is a brave young man and a talented soccer player who was diagnosed with a heart condition at the age of three that eventually meant he needed a heart transplant. In this short clip he talks about the struggle of having to sit on the sidelines while his friends played sports, and coming to terms with needing a new heart, as well as the importance of organ donation (from someone who both gave and received). Thank you to Transplant Australia for making the video and sharing it on YouTube, and to Mohammad's family for allowing us to share his story.
Posted by Kylie Flament
on 29 July 2014
Artist Thomas Smith and his wife Rita kindly visited the Heart Centre for Children today, donating two original paintings and bringing 29 brand new soft toys with him that were donated by a school in Shanghai to bring smiles to our patients' faces, like that of Danielle (pictured), age 11. We look forward to working with Thomas and Rita over the coming months and years as they pursue their plans to raise funds for paediatric cardiac research for us. More of Thomas' art can be seen at www.thomasartgallery.com
Posted by Kylie Flament
on 29 July 2014
The first baby ever to have been delivered at The Children's Hospital at Westmead, due to her critical condition that meant she required immediate surgery, little Nyah and her family shared their story on Channel 9 News over the weekend. For the video, head to
http://www.9news.com.au/national/2014/07/26/22/59/baby-girl-home-again-after-multiple-heart-surgeries.
Posted by Kylie Flament
on 3 June 2014
One of our adolescent patients is writing a book about congenital heart disease and would like to speak to other children and their families about it. If you are interested in sharing your story, please
Contact Us and we will put you in touch. Alternatively, call me on (02) 9845 2326 to discuss. Many thanks!
Thank you so much to our friend Jasmine who decided to do a little good these school holidays and set up a bake sale outside her house to raise money for the Heart Centre for Children. Jasmine and her grandmother baked all day to have a table full of goodies for people to choose from, and then Jasmine and her friends Amelie, Astrid, Chloe, Georgia and Violet sold the cookies and cakes, raising a fantastic $83.50 for us.
The money will be put towards purchasing a Heart-Lung Machine, to help us to perform life-saving surgery on babies and children just like Jasmine, who was born with a heart condition.
What an amazing young lady! Thank you Jasmine!!
Click here to find out How You Can Help too.
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