

Sarah’s Story
Living with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum
OHS at two days old (1980) and three years old (1983)
So here I go – finally putting pen to paper after all these years. I have recently been inspired by so many people who I have…

My Heart Story Natalie Jones
My name is Natalie Jones and I am 38. I have a congenital heart condition known as transposition of the great arteries. This was discovered when I was 2 weeks old. At 18 months old I had open heart surgery to correct it. As I was so young, I…

Emily's Story
Name: Emily Sterling
Age: 24
Age when diagnosed: 6 weeks old
Condition: Bicuspid aortic valve, mixed aortic valve disease (aortic stenosis and regurgitation)
In February 2015 (just after my 20th birthday) I had open heart surgery…

Liza's Story
Name: Liza Morton
Age: 41
Age Diagnosed: At birth
Condition: Congenital heart block and a surgically fixed atrial septal defect (ASD)
Growing up, I tried to focus on the positives but we are our stories and mine emerged from difficulty.…

David's Story
Name: David Makinson
Age: 54, born May 1964
Age Diagnosed: Soon after birth at The Middlesex Hospital, London – the child of a single mother who wished to put me up for adoption.
How has CHD affected your mental health?
In a nutshell,…

Adam's Story
Name: Adam Stevens
Age: 39
Age when diagnosed: 2 weeks (originally suspected ToF)
Condition: Transposition of the great arteries.
How has having a heart condition impacted on your mental health?
It’s given a schema of life that…

Roderick's Story
Name: Roderick Skinner
Age: 77
Age when diagnosed: 44
Condition: Triple bypass and replacement of defective (congenital) aortic valve with a mechanical
heart valve.
How has having a heart condition impacted on your mental health?
The…

Susan's Story
Name: Susan Manley nee Millard
Age: 66
Age when diagnosed: Before 1 year old
Condition: Three holes in the heart and faulty Tricuspid valve
How has having a heart condition impacted on your mental health?
We were the experimental…

Izzy's Story
Read an Extract from Izzy's original post... My Open Heart.
I started to walk faster, legs shaking, and sheer panic overtook my entire body. As fast as my shaking legs could take me, I stumbled down the escalator of Oxford Circus station, attempting…

Counselling Support for Children and Young People
Here are some options you can explore to find counselling and psychological support near you.
Youth Counselling Services: Based in your local area, sometimes run by the local authority or by a charity. These vary across the country and…