Hi, I’m Jess, mum to four beautiful boys—Nico, Lando, Remy, and Koa. Our journey as a family has been shaped by congenital heart disease (CHD), a condition that has touched each of my children’s lives in different ways. Throughout it all, the incredible team on the Cardiac Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (CPICU) at Leicester Royal Infirmary have been there for us, providing expert care, kindness, and support during the most difficult moments of our lives.

I’m sharing our story because I know first-hand just how vital specialist equipment is in an intensive care setting. Right now, CPICU are in need of their own dedicated top-of-the-range ultrasound scanner—a piece of technology that will help doctors diagnose and treat critically ill babies and children faster and with greater precision. This scanner will make a real difference to families like mine, and I’m asking for your help to make it possible.

Please make a gift to help bring the very best equipment to CPICU. And because of match funding secured from the community, your gift will be doubled at no extra cost to you! This means that your gift of £60 will be doubled to £120.

When a child is critically ill, every second counts. This ultrasound scanner will give doctors real-time, high-quality images, allowing them to make quick and accurate decisions. It’s particularly important for tiny babies and children with complex heart conditions, where even the smallest details matter.

At the moment, the unit shares a similar machine with other departments, which can sometimes cause unhelpful delays. Also known as a point of care scanner, it will mean that children can get the scans they need at the bedside, without having to wait or be moved to another area of the hospital. It will reduce the need for invasive procedures, improve the accuracy of treatments, and ultimately, give children the best possible chance of recovery.

Our family has spent weeks in intensive care. We’ve experienced the highs of successful surgeries and the devastating lows of loss. My son Lando passed away at just 10 weeks old after suffering severe brain damage following a cardiac arrest, and earlier this year, we lost our youngest, Koa, at just 13 weeks old. Losing them has broken me, but through it all, I am so grateful to the wonderful staff and team members at Leicester’s Hospitals who stood with us through it all.

My son Remy, who has a serious heart condition, has defied the odds thanks to the expertise and care of the team at Leicester. He has had two major open-heart surgeries and is now a cheeky, beautiful, almost two-year-old, filling our lives with love and laughter. He’s our little miracle baby and may even benefit from the new ultrasound scanner in the future when he needs further treatment.

The team at CPICU are not just medical professionals; they are lifesavers. They are the people who hold your hand during the hardest moments, who fight for your child every single day, and who celebrate every tiny victory alongside you. They give everything to ensure children receive the best possible care, and now, we have the chance to support them in return.

No parent ever expects to find themselves in a paediatric intensive care unit, but when they do, they need to know their child is getting the very best care possible. By making a gift today, you’ll be helping to provide the CPICU team with the very best equipment.  Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us closer to ensuring children get the best treatment, as quickly as possible, when they need it most.

Please, if you can, make a gift today and give big for little hearts.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.