National Heart Month - James Shares Harriet's Story

In honour of National Heart Month, Principal of Brooksby College, James Fryer shares the story of his daughter Harriet who was diagnosed with a complex congenital heart condition hours after being born.

Before Harriet was born in 2022 Anna and I were told that the left-hand side of her heart had not formed as it should, they couldn’t quite tell us what the diagnosis was as the scans were so unclear. On August the 14th, Harriet was born, and hours later diagnosed with a complex congenital heart condition, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, something we had never heard of before. What followed were long hospital stays, appointments, scans, long waits, and the constant low-level worry that becomes part of everyday life when your child is unwell. 

Alongside the fear, there was also something else: extraordinary kindness, expertise and support from the medical teams and charities who walked alongside our family and help us understand her condition and what her future could look like.

Harriet has already faced more in her short life than most adults ever will. She has undergone 3 major open-heart surgeries and spent long periods of time in intensive care, surrounded by machines, tubes, and professionals who became our lifeline. Those days were some of the hardest we’ve known - full of uncertainty, exhaustion and hope held together minute by minute.

Today, Harriet is thriving, she is three years old. She loves dancing, dressing up, and keeping up with her older siblings – even when her little legs get tired before she’ll ever admit it.

From the outside, Harriet looks like any other bright, determined toddler. But from the very start of her life, her heart has needed extra care.

She still has ongoing care and will always be monitored, but she is first and foremost a little girl who laughs loudly, loves deeply, and brings joy wherever she goes.

Our family’s journey has shown us just how vital fundraising is. The research, specialist equipment, family support services, and hospital spaces that make moments of comfort possible do not exist without generosity. They are the reason children like Harriet get the chance to grow up.

By supporting this fundraiser, you are helping ensure that more children receive not just life-saving treatment, but compassion, dignity and hope at the moment’s families need it most.

Harriet’s story is one of courage, care, and community - and we are endlessly grateful to everyone who helps make stories like hers possible.