By Casey Neill
VALENTINE’S Day is all about matters of the heart – but much more than just romance.
Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week culminates on 14 February and highlights the heart abnormalities that affect one in 100 children born in Australia.
Gembrook’s William Arrowsmith, 7, was one of them.
He was born without the artery that moves blood to and from his lungs, a large hole in his heart could not close over, and his body had made extra arteries to compensate for the defects.
“We were lucky enough to find out while still pregnant with him,” his mum, Joanne Arrowsmith said.
“We just cried a lot. At the time it was a real blur.
“With the worry of the unknown, the birth was an awful experience.”
William had his first heart surgery when he was just one month old.
“Seeing your baby in intensive care is an experience beyond explanation,” Mrs Arrowsmith said.
“The machines and noises are overwhelming.”
His second operation came when he was 21 months old – a “complete repair” using an artificial valve that will need to be replaced as he grows.
“It will be harder the next time,” Mrs Arrowsmith said.
“He knows what’s going on. He’s scared.”
She hopes advances in technology will mean his next surgery is his last.
But more funds are needed to make her dream a reality.
That’s why raising awareness of congenital heart disease (CHD) is so important.
“Before him, I’d never heard of it,” Mrs Arrowsmith said.
She said ‘heart kids’ looked quite healthy and T-shirts hid their scars, so most people didn’t realise there were so many of them.
But heart disease is the leading cause of death in young children in Australia – it takes more lives than all other childhood diseases combined.
William was lucky.
“Thirty years ago they didn’t operate on kids with his condition,” Mrs Arrowsmith said.
“They just lived untiltheir heart couldn’t go on any longer.”
There is little known about the disease and its causes.
“Sadly we lose over four children a week with CHD,” she said.
“Last week I know of one of the teenagers that sadly lost her fight against it, and I have another friend that was told that her son has weeks to months left.
“He is a little older than William.
“It breaks your heart to see this, but it also gives you a reason to help raise funds in the hope that my child and all the other children have a better chance of living a long and healthy life.”
William is self-conscious about his scar, and doctors are still investigating ways to improve undersized vessels that supply his lungs. His teeth are also weak from his condition.
He took longer to reach milestones in his younger years but now keeps up with his classmates and this year joined the Pakenham Upper Under 11s cricket side.
“We wondered if something like that would ever happen,” Mrs Arrowsmith said.
Mrs Arrowsmith is participating in the $1 Million Kilo Challenge to raise money for charity HeartKids.
The not-for-profit organisation has provided the Arrowsmiths with information and support.
Visit www.everydayhero. com.au for Joanne Arrowsmith’s fundraiser page.
