<div>Samuel’s Story
</div>
<div>I'm Samuel (not Sam), born on 23rd April 2014 with four life-threatening heart conditions.
</div>
<div>I want to take this time to tell you all about my story and the reason behind my wishes, so
</div>
<div>here goes.
</div>
<div>While my Mummy was at Colchester Hospital attending her 22-week scan, the sonographer
</div>
<div>said she could see a dark shadow on my heart; Mummy had to go to Great Ormand Street
</div>
<div>Hospital (GOSH) for more tests.
</div>
<div>The next day, I had a long and detailed scan of my heart and was diagnosed with four heart
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<div>conditions: a hole in the heart, narrowing of a valve, a murmur, defects in my right ventricle,
</div>
<div>and an underdeveloped right side. I have a Ventricular septal defect, Pulmonary Stenosis,
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<div>Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome and Hypoventricula Left Heart Syndrome.
</div>
<div>The Doctor told my Mummy and Daddy that I may not survive my birth. However, if I did, I
</div>
<div>might only be here for 20 minutes. If I were strong enough to live even longer, I would have
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<div>surgery, but the operation would not come with any guarantees.
</div>
<div>Mummy and Daddy faced a dilemma; the Doctor gave us two options. The first one was for
</div>
<div>Mummy to have to me naturally and give me a chance to live. The second, I'm afraid, was to
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<div>terminate my birth.
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<div>They left GOSH extremely upset, confused and unsure about what they should do. Mummy
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<div>and Daddy had to speak to specialists for advice and support to decide what the best option
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<div>for me would be. Did I have a chance of living? What option would mean that I wouldn't
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<div>suffer? Would I make it past 20 minutes? These were some of the questions that my parents
</div>
<div>faced. In the end, the Doctor booked a termination, but my Mummy couldn't go through
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<div>with it. She wanted to give me a chance; she believed in me!
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<div>The next few months were stressful, obviously, but Mummy remained positive. Every time
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<div>she felt me move in her tummy, I gave her hope.
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<div>I arrived at 6.23 am on Wednesday 23rd April 2014 at UCLH, weighing 6lb 14oz; I survived
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<div>those 20 minutes.
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<div>My new home was in intensive care; and, I had only medicine and machines keeping me
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<div>alive. At six days old, I had my first open-heart surgery; the Doctors performed a BT Shunt
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<div>(Blalock-Taussig Shunt). The operation meant I'd be able to get more blood to my lungs.
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<div>Everyone was pleased about how well I was doing; I defied all odds to get this far- they
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<div>called me a GOSH miracle baby!
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<div>I had my second open-heart surgery at four months old. It was an operation to modify the
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<div>original BT shunt into a cavopulmonary shunt. That increased the blood flow to my lungs
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<div>and reduced the amount of work my heart needed to do.
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<div><br />
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<div>The following procedure was a Fontan-type operation. It increased the amount of oxygen in
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<div>my blood and allowed it to flow from the upper part of my body into my pulmonary artery.
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<div>The pulmonary artery takes the blood to the lungs.
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<div>My last surgery was the second part of the Fontan-type operation; I was two years old. The
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<div>procedure involved redirecting the IVC blood to the lungs; IVC is a vein that brings oxygenpoor blood from the lower body back to the heart and the lungs.
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<div>So far, I've had I have had two balloons in my lungs and various surgeries. I surpassed
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<div>Doctors expectations, and I managed to start school- I made it to year three! I have lots of
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<div>friends and fantastic teachers, but I also love movies like The Avengers and Star Wars.
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<div>On 22nd September 2021, I had a regular check-up at great Ormond Street Hospital.
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<div>Usually, these check-ups go well, and I get to go home. However, this time, the consultant
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<div>explained that my heart and valves have a lot of scarring; I have tissue damage. He said that
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<div>he'd be surprised if I make it to my 10th birthday, and my family and I should enjoy every
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<div>moment we have together—my Mummy, Daddy, and sisters and I should make as many
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<div>memories together as we can.
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<div>To help me make it to ten years old, he advised me to stay calm and not overexert myself or
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<div>make myself out of breath. But come on! I'm a seven-year-old boy that loves to play with
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<div>my friends in the playground! I love to run, and I love to play; I love to chase my mates all
</div>
<div>day!
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<div>Mummy and Daddy have a big job trying to keep me calm and keep my heart working at a
</div>
<div>steady rate as much as they can. As a family, we understand the situation is hard to
</div>
<div>comprehend; knowing what may be, we want to make as many memories together as we
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<div>can.
</div>
<div>I have made a wish list of things that I would love to do, including creating lasting memories
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<div>for my family. We're fundraising to make my wishes come true, and we ask you kindly, from
</div>
<div>the bottom of our hearts, for you to help achieve our fundraising goals.
</div>
<div>Thank you for reading my story. I hope I have informed you about rare heart conditions that
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<div>affect many other children in the world and me.
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<div>Now that you know my story, I hope you'll be there to enjoy memories and help support us
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<div>to raise funds to make them.
</div>
<div>Lots of love, Samuel x
</div>

Hayley French

carla russell

Anonymous

Joshua Wilson

MARY RIDGLEY

Charlotte Vallance

David THIRKILL

Sally Harris

Sophie McInerney

Morena Henderson

Jagjit Taylor

Jon Stanley

Anne Watson

Katherine Cooling-Smith

Emma Bolton

Jordan Oliver

Samuel's Last Crusade;making his wishes come true

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Samuel's Last Crusade;making his wishes come true

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