As a Midwife and a Sonographer,  I have worked for the last 21 years to provide the best possible care to the women and babies that I come into contact with. Thankfully most of the time the news we share is positive and exciting but unfortunately this is not always the case. 

A baby is born with a serious heart condition every two hours in the UK and despite congenital heart disease being one of the biggest killers of infants, only around half of congenital heart defects are picked up during routine prenatal scanning. 

A Tiny Tickers mum recently stated that ‘Finding out that your child has a heart defect is devastating, but not finding out… that would be another story entirely. We owe our daughters life to the sonographer who detected it. We had time to get our heads around what was going to happen and we were able to make a plan and prepare. A gift that not all families receive." 

An early diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) shouldn't be about luck. Tiny Tickers, work hard to ensure all babies with CHD receive a diagnosis as soon as medically possible and that their families receive the support they need. 

This time last year I couldn’t even imagine running half a mile let alone complete a half marathon (and for those that know me well know that I have NEVER been a runner!)  but with the help and support of an amazing group of friends, and a 1 in a million ballot place I managed to complete the London Marathon in October 2022. My only regret through the whole journey was not running for charity. So this year I would like to take on another challenge and help an amazing charity at the same time. 

With your help and donations they can provide a safety net for the 1,000 babies each year that leave hospital with their heart defect undetected, increasing detection rates, improving a baby’s chances of survival and long-term quality of life.