July 11th 2023.
Kayleigh Starkey-Savage and her husband Gary were expecting their first child when they received the devastating news that their unborn baby, Felix, had a rare combination of multiple heart defects. The couple were told that there was a chance he might not survive.
Despite the odds, Felix was born in May 2019 and shortly after being transferred to the children’s hospital in Bristol, he underwent a surgery to insert a shunt into his pulmonary artery. This would give him a chance to grow stronger ahead of further surgery at a later date.
Kayleigh and Gary found out that Felix had pulmonary atresia, a hole in his heart and aortic stenosis at his 21-week scan. They were given the option to continue the pregnancy or terminate. Thankfully further scans revealed that part of Felix’s heart had started to develop, giving them a glimmer of hope.
It was a waiting game until Felix was 10 days old when surgeons decided to insert a shunt into his pulmonary artery. Kayleigh and Gary had to make the difficult decision to hand their baby over, as surgery was his only chance of survival. Thankfully, the surgery was a success and at 23 days old, Felix was able to go home for the first time.
In March 2020, Felix needed a second surgery to replace his shunt and patch the hole in his heart. He has continued to thrive and recently celebrated his fourth birthday.
Kayleigh and Gary, together with her sister, took on the British Heart Foundation’s London to Brighton Bike Ride to honour their son’s incredible journey. The 10,000 riders took on the 54-mile cycle from Clapham Common to the Brighton seafront, all with the same mission – to fund lifesaving research.
Roisin Greenup, Senior Events Manager at the BHF, said: “It’s fantastic to see Kayleigh and her family’s passion and determination in helping us fund lifesaving research. Without the dedication of our cyclists and the commitment of fundraisers like them, we wouldn’t be able to fund research that has already broken new ground, revolutionised treatments and transformed the lives of millions of people in the UK.”
The British Heart Foundation has been funding research into new treatments and cures for heart and circulatory diseases for over 50 years. Before the BHF existed, the majority of babies diagnosed with a severe heart defect in the UK did not survive to their first birthday, but today, thanks to research, more than eight out of 10 survive to adulthood.
Kayleigh said: “It really puts into perspective how important this research is and how far things have come in such a short time. We always say our hearts had to break for his to be repaired, but Felix is such a superstar and loves being a big brother.”
The London to Brighton Bike Ride is on its way to raising a staggering £2 million for the charity’s research. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing email.
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