Our gorgeous baby boy Arthur brought so much love into our life in the short time he was with us and was a fighter from day 1. Our little Jedi came into the world on the 4th May and will always be with us.

Arthur was born with a rare Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) called Truncus Arteriosus which meant he required medical attention from when he was born. He spent his first 2 and a half months in Alder Hey Children’s hospital where he spent the majority of time on the Intensive Care Unit on a ventilator and with various medicines to support him. He got known for his fantastic collection of socks, his strawberry blonde shark fin hair and his cheeky hands.

Arthur underwent his first Open Heart Surgery at 8 days old and then subsequently required two more Open Heart Surgeries which eventually enabled Arthur to be discharged from Alder Hey on the 19th July - 77 days after he was born. Each time he underwent his surgeries, he fought so hard to recover so we could have more time with him and bring him home.

We are so grateful for the 2 months we shared outside of the hospital walls getting to know Arthur’s little personality, introducing him to family and friends, gazing in to his beautiful bright blue eyes, seeing his cheeky smile and watching his clever hands play with his toys. He loved music, scrunchy foil, cuddles and grabbing his bottle.

Although his CHD was identified on Arthur’s 20 week scan, nothing can truly prepare you for the reality of your child facing open heart surgery, on multiple occasions. During our time in Alder Hey, underneath the fear and despair we were experiencing, we discovered a world of kindness, hope and strength. The relationships we built with families, hospital staff and the nurses, consultants and surgeons played a huge role in Arthur’s story and we are forever grateful.

During Arthur’s time with us we have received tremendous help and support but, one in particular, Ronald Macdonald House or ‘Mac House’ as we know it, provided us with the facility to be able to stay next to the Hospital and Arthur.

The House’s next major improvement project planned for next year will see more than £11 million invested into a substantial refurb to ensure the 30-year-old building, which requires major modernisation, can continue to meet the needs of families and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital for many years to come.

The Charity has raised the majority (£9 million) of the funds needed for the project and is appealing for support. We would like to make a contribution and leave a lasting reminder of our Special Little Boy.

We want to help them continue to provide support for many more families in the future who, sadly, find themselves in a similar position to ourselves. It meant so much to us to be able to stay so close to Arthur during his time at Alder Hey and we would like to give back to this fantastic facility and for this to be recognised with a plaque in Arthur’s name at Mac House.

Read more about the project:

https://www.alderhey.nhs.uk/multi-million-pound-refurb-for-ronald-mcdonald-house-alder-hey/

About the charity:

Ronald McDonald House Charities UK provides free ‘home away from home’ accommodation to families with children having treatment in hospital.

Our Houses offer much more than just a place to stay; they provide family activities, peer support, respite, and many other services. This means that families can be by their child’s bedside in a matter of moments, whilst maintaining a degree of normal life with reduced emotional and financial strain.

We help over 6,000 families each year and now, more than ever, we need your support. Thank you.