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Merapi Uangakore
Merapi is 7 years old. Like many other little girls of her age, Merapi loves nail polish, singing, drawing, dressing up, and playing with her pet rabbit. Unlike other children of her age, the place that Merapi has frequented most is not the playground or her school, but the paediatric cardiac unit at the children’s hospital in Auckland.
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Sam
First time parents TJ and Lopeti Brown couldn’t wait to take their newborn son Sam home. With bags packed they waited excitedly for the Doctor’s final okay. But TJ and Lopeti didn’t take Sam home that day, nor the next day, or the day after that. Instead of moving out, TJ and Lopeti moved in and for three long months their days became a blurred mix of good days and bad days, tests, sadness, joy and fear.
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New branch on the way
It’s been three months since Greymouth’s Tania Bugler was asked to take on the role of Family Support Worker for the West Coast. In that time, the Mum of three, has established a Support Group for local heart families, held the Coast’s first ever Heart Stopper Challenge and gathered...
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Molly
The 20 week scan is supposed to be one of the happiest days for a soon to be Mum and Dad. It’s the day you get to see the first glimpses of your unborn child. For first time parents Becks and John it was the day they found out they were having a girl and the day they found...
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Lili
Lili is 12 years old. Like most twelve year old girls, a good day for Lili is hanging out with friends, playing sports, going to school, going to church and being with her family. Lately Lili’s definition of a good day and a bad day has changed. Lili’s sore throat,...
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Jake
The first indication that something was not as it should be came during Jake’s two week check up with the local Plunket Nurse. “I see enough healthy babies to know that this wee man is not,” she said. These words would be remembered fifteen years on, as clear as...
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Lucas' heart story
The following passage, written by Lucas’ Mum Jenny, is a touching account of one family’s story behind the statistics … a glimpse into the good days and the bad days of a family living with childhood heart disease. Lucas was eight weeks of age when we took our very...
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Introducing Finley Schumacher Sundberg ...
... Heart Rider extraordinaire This November four year old Finley Schumacher Sundberg will ride 5km in New Zealand’s second largest outdoor event, the Wattyl Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge. Athletic at heart, Finley broaches even the smallest of life's activities with a...
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Matthew Blackwell
Matthew’s story as retold by his Mum. When Matthew was born he found it difficult to breathe. He spent that first night in the neo natal intensive care unit so medical staff could keep an eye on him. But by morning his limbs had taken on a disturbing bluish...
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Matt Munro
A week before Matthew made his way into the world in May 1996, we realised there was something wrong with his heart. We were referred to Middlemore Hospital, where the registrar was amazed by Matthew’s chaotic heart rhythm. The following evening he was induced and born after...
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Zac Lutter
Zac Lutter was born 22nd February 1997, third child to Rob and Maureen and a brother for Jan (4½) and Tim (3). When Zac was born there were seven things wrong with his heart. "We did not know what a heart child was and thought that heart conditions were only an...
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Step up to the Crease
Hi there, Our daughter, Lucy, (11 months) was born with a congenital heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. That’s a condition with four heart defects. Lucy’s needed three operations with another scheduled in just a few days. ...
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Jaden Knight
Jaden was born on March 6 1998 at Rotorua Hospital. There was a slight murmur noticed by the doctors present at the birth. On Monday March 9 the murmur was noticeably worse and the decision was made to send him to Starship Hospital in Auckland for further diagnosis. He was diagnosed as...
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Larissa Cox
Hello, my name is Larissa Ella Cox and I am now two years old. Here I am with my 8 year old sister Saskia. We are sitting at the Kerikeri BNZ where we helped to swap chocolate hearts for gold coins during the Awareness Week. We are looking forward to eating more chocolate...
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Kezia's Story
My mother once told me that having a child with a heart condition was a little like buying a ticket to Italy but ending up in Holland instead. Not quite the trip that was intended but an interesting and challenging journey anyway. Hi my name is Kezia Lockhart and I'm going to tell you a little...
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Sam Holden
In September 1998, 9 year old Sam Holden went to Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles to take part in a camp for children with heart disease. "Hi, my name is Sam. As you have probably heard five New Zealand (Wellington) heart kids went to America for 11 days to a five day camp on...
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