A mum whose precious daughter needed emergency heart surgery at just six days old has praised hospital staff for the lifesaving care they provided. Natalie Robinson was told that something was wrong with her baby Aria at her 20-week pregnancy scan.
She was referred for follow-up appointments which discovered that her unborn child had a rare birth defect known as truncus arteriosus – a condition where there is just one large blood vessel instead of two separate vessels leaving the pumping chambers (ventricles) of the heart. In a normal heart the large blood vessel that carries blood around the body (aorta) comes out of the left ventricle and the one that carries blood to the lungs (pulmonary artery) comes out of the right ventricle.
Having just one large blood vessel means oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood is able to mix and flow from the heart to the body and lungs. This creates severe circulatory problems and, if left untreated, can be fatal.
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"I'd had two miscarriages and we were so pleased that we were finally pregnant – and then we received the news. I managed to stay quite calm but I was panicking inside," admitted Natalie, who added that Aria also had a hole in her heart.
Little Aria was born at Bristol Children's Hospital on June 10 and six days later underwent nine hours of heart surgery to correct the defect. "She went down to theatre at about 9am and didn't come back until 6pm. My fiancé Mike and I just walked around Bristol just waiting for the phone call to say she was okay. It was the longest day of our lives."
Thanks to the surgeons' expertise the operation was deemed a success and Aria was discharged home just weeks later. Three months on and she is thriving. Natalie, from Swansea, added: "The NHS has been amazing – from the 20-week scan to now. They've left no stone unturned. I can't thank them enough."
To pay her own tribute to the hospital staff Natalie's future mother-in-law and Aria's grandmother, Linda Hassell, 66, has signed up for the Wizz Air Cardiff Half Marathon to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. "I might end up crawling it but I’ll do it," Linda joked. "So many children are born with heart problems so the British Heart Foundation is such a good cause. She has quite a big scar on her chest but we call it her 'warrior scar'. We call her 'our little warrior'. And her dad has had a matching scar tattooed on his chest. She's such a strong little cookie and has a lovely little giggle."
It will be the second time the Cardiff Half Marathon has descended on the Welsh capital in 2022 after the postponed 2020 race took place in March. It will also be the first time it has been held on its traditional autumn date in three years following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The race is on track to reach a total of £20m in fundraising at the 19th edition of the event this year. Race organisers are urging the public to get behind the event to help it reach this incredible milestone. More than £3m is raised each year via partnerships with more than 90 charities. The race sold out earlier this summer just three and a half months after going on sale.
A record number of runners from outside Wales – both across the UK and overseas – are registered to take part this year. You can donate to Linda's fundraising page here and find out more about the event at www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk
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