Baby Received Devastating Diagnosis After Visiting A&E for Suspected Cold Sores

A newborn baby was diagnosed with a hole in his heart after being rushed to a hospital emergency department for suspected cold sores. Gabrielle Bryan and Tyler Rees took Bertie to the hospital after noticing a blister on her lip just six days after her birth in February.

Doctors informed the Gloucester couple that the blister was nothing to worry about, but they noted a heart murmur in the baby. The next day, they learned that Bertie had a ventricular septal defect (VSD), or a “hole in the heart.”

“When Bertie was six days old, we took him to the hospital for a small injury to his lip,” Army Sergeant Gabrielle said. “We thought it might have been a cold sore, which can be quite dangerous for young babies,” reports Gloucestershire Live.

“That’s when doctors detected the heart murmur and the next day he was seen by a pediatric cardiologist, who diagnosed him with a large VSD. At that time, we didn’t know much about heart disease and we were thinking the worst.

“I thought I was going to lose my baby at that moment.” Terrified, the couple sought help from Heart Heroes, a charity that supports children and families of children diagnosed with heart disease.

Gabrielle and Tyler felt instant relief after meeting other parents and children who had gone through the same experience and quickly decided they should give back.

“I had seen a poster on the hospital wall about Heart Heroes and we went with him when Bertie was about three weeks old,” Gabrielle said.

“I went to that group and met other parents and met kids who had been through everything and worse. We were able to see how they were thriving and we also got advice from the other parents.

“When we first found out, we felt very alone. I didn’t know anything about heart disease and I really thought we were going to lose him. Getting that support keeps us going. I also want to help others who will be in my situation in the future. “

The couple have now started fundraising together with friends, completing various physical challenges to raise money for the Heart Heroes charity.

Gabrielle’s friends and co-workers, Sergeant Rachel Harle and Corporal Amy Trimnell, have raised £650 to date, with plans to complete 5km of burpees on June 12 in a challenge called ‘Burpees for Bertie’, while that Tyler’s friends at Smiths Rugby will also race at Cheltenham. Half Marathon to support the cause.

Smiths Rugby has already managed to raise a whopping £3,142 through a combined cup final and for the half marathon, which takes place on September 1.

“My mate plays for Smiths Rugby in Cheltenham and we wanted to run the half marathon, so we asked everyone in the team if they wanted to raise money for Heart Heroes, and now basically the whole team will be running the half marathon on September 1st.”, Gabriela said.

“The rugby club also organized a fundraising day for the Combined Cup, which also raised £1,000. “From there, some of my army friends saw that we had been fundraising and wanted to fundraise too, because they know how much the charity has helped us.”

Gabrielle and Tyler hope to continue raising money for the charity and also want to highlight the importance of being aware of heart disease during pregnancy.

“I think heart disease should be mentioned more during pregnancy,” Gabrielle said.

“Often these heart conditions can be detected while they’re in the womb, but we didn’t find out until he was six days old. There are calls for scans to be done all over the country, because right now they’re not, and that’s how it’s done. They overlook things.

“I want to be there to support like people have supported me. This money will help Heart Heroes continue to support people.” Heart Heroes founder Kelly Cornish said: “Heart Heroes was founded in 2018 and has been dedicated to supporting children with lifelong heart conditions and their families, like Bertie’s.

“We are delighted to see Amy and Rachel take on their incredible challenge for our charity. It is heartwarming to see families like Bertie’s surrounded by the love and support of our community, friends and family.”

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