Shiloh's Heart Fund - She's a little Trooper

Shiloh was diagnosed with AVSD a heart defect resulting in 2 holes, excess blood flow and an underdeveloped left side of her heart. This was detected at her 22 week scan. She was born by emergency c-section and in NICU for the first week of her life.

At 6 weeks Shiloh had emergency open heart surgery in Starship Hospital putting a band around her top heart valve.

Shiloh has a nasal gastric tube in which she is feed, this will be a long process as she has developed an aversion to taking food orally since her first operation. Shiloh's parents have learnt to administer Shiloh's feeds through the tube every 3 hours round the clock including replacing the nasal gastric tube every 6 weeks or as needed, themselves. This is just one of the many challenges they go through.

At 25 weeks old Shiloh stopped breathing due to spewing up thick mucus which is a hourly occurrence and her mother, Charlotte administered CPR until the emergency services arrived. Shiloh was in ED overnight and this resulted in another week in Starship Hospital having tests.

Her next open heart surgery is scheduled for the end of January 2020 where she will be 10 months old. This surgery will be her major operation where the surgeon will be repairing the two holes in her heart and making her heart into one whole chamber as the left side of her heart is too small to save.

This will not be her last operation as Shiloh may need more when she is about 3 or 4 years old.

Neil and Charlotte are Shiloh's hardworking and loving parents. Neil is a qualified builder and Charlotte was a receptionist at Juve and now fulltime mother and carer of Shiloh. They live in Gisborne.

Any support would be gratefully appreciated in helping with medical and pharmaceutical bills, travel costs, accommodation, food, petrol, baby equipment and general living as Neil and Charlotte take time off work for upcoming hospital stays.