• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Donate now
  • About Tiny Tickers
  • Media Centre
  • Contact Us
Tiny Tickers

Tiny Tickers

Donate now
  • Support & Info
        • Support & Info

          Wherever you are on your journey, we’re here to offer the support and information you need.

          Find out more
        • What is Congenital Heart Disease?
        • Family Support
        • Are you pregnant?
        • Are you pregnant?
        • Just had a baby?
        • Has your baby got a heart defect?
        • Think HEART
        • Bereavement
        • Useful Resources
  • Professionals
        • Professionals

          We are here to help healthcare professionals improve the detection and treatment of congenital heart defects.

          Find out more
        • Sonographer Cardiac Training
          Our trainer, Niki, with sonographers from Russell Hall Hospital
        • Training services
        • Tiny Tickers' Yorkshire Sonographer Training Project to detect heart conditions
        • Training Resources
        • Cardiac Resources
        • The first Tiny Tickers funded pulse oximetry machine, at Good Hope Hospital
        • Pulse Oximetry Resources
        • Think HEART & Think 20
        • Resources Order Form
  • Get Involved
        • Get Involved

          Whatever your skills and interests, there is a way for you to make a difference to babies with heart problems.

          Find out more
        • Donate
        • Donate
        • Give a gift in your will
        • Our Appeals
        • Challenge events
        • Corporate Support
        • Fundraise
        • Share Your story
        • Play our lottery
  • Blogs and News
  • Your Stories
  • About Tiny Tickers
        • Our Work
        • Our Plans & Ambitions
        • How We Are Funded
        • Meet Team Tiny Tickers
        • Join Our Team
        • Our Values
        • Tiny Tickers’ Annual Reports
  • Media Centre
        • Brand Guidelines
        • CHD Statistics and Research
        • Family Stories
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Your Stories / Marek’s story

Marek’s story

7th October 2015 in Your StoriesTetralogy of Fallot

“Marek’s heart condition was detected during pregnancy and our baby was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot around the 22nd week of pregnancy. We were informed that open heart surgery at a young age (in his first year), would give him a good quality of life but he would need care for the rest of his life to monitor his heart.

babyMarek_zps05f9c659This congenital heart condition, in short, prevents sufficient oxygenated blood from being pumped round the body. There are many different variations, Marek’s is ‘textbook’. In the womb and at birth, there was a hole between the left and right side of the heart and the pulmonary valve was malformed. This meant that his aorta had developed too much and his pulmonary artery not enough, which restricted blood flow to the lungs and increased his heart rate.

“When Marek was born his oxygen levels were around 96%. We had been advised that surgery would be roughly when he was six months. He put on weight well, managed to breast feed well and did not need any medication, he seemed to all intents and purposes a healthy little boy. We had regular check ups to monitor the condition and his development and he had his ‘full repair’ mid November 2014. At that point his oxygen levels were 88%. The biggest difference post op is his colour – he’s much pinker now.

Marek smallerWhilst Marek has had a ‘full repair’, he will need another operation to replace his pulmonary valve at some point, probably as a teenager. He still has a very small hole between the left and right side of his heart, and there is a little ‘flow back’ from the pulmonary valve.

We will be eternally grateful that our son’s condition was picked up early and we want to make sure that all babies with CHD get the care they need as soon as possible.”

Ben & Natasha Warren, Marek’s parents

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Primary Sidebar

Blogs

  • The Hebridean Way is “mostly flat”
  • The journey of a heart parent
  • Sandie and Sonny are running for tiny hearts
  • Top Ten Fundraising Ideas For Kids
  • How our pulse oximetry project is saving lives
See all Blogs

Your Stories

  • Harrison’s Story
  • SVT and Aortic Stenosis: Arthur’s Story
  • VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect): George’s Story
  • Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) and Aortic Stenosis: Emilia’s Story
  • Our heart defects: A father and son’s story
See all Your Stories

News

  • The Congenital Heart Disease Priority Setting Partnership: a national strategy to address priorities for children and adults with CHD
  • Tiny Tickers places its 500th pulse oximetry machine
  • Make Some Noise for tiny hearts
  • Amazon Smile Update 2023
  • INEOS staff cycle miles for tiny hearts
See all News

More about...

3vt (1) 20 week scan (1) Adult CHD Stories (6) ASD (13) AVSD (8) cardiac (1) Coarctation of the Aorta (36) collapsed aortic valve (1) congenital heart defects (3) congenital heart disease (3) Congenitally Corrected Transposition (4) Critical Aortic Stenosis (4) Double Outlet Right Ventricle (5) Ebstein's Anomoly (2) hypoplastic aortic arch (3) hypoplastic left heart syndrome (8) hypoplastic right heart syndrome (2) Loss (23) Mitral Valve Regurgitation (1) nominate (1) Parents Blog (15) Patent Ductus Arteriosis (3) PDA (2) pulmonary atresia (6) pulmonary stenosis (2) Pulmonary Valve Stenosis (2) research (1) shone's complex (1) sonographers (2) sonographer training (2) support (1) Supraventricular Tachycardia (3) SVT (1) TAPVC (1) Test for Tommy (5) Tetralogy of Fallot (22) tiny hearts (1) Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC) (1) transposition of the great arteries (44) tricuspid atresia (2) Truncus Arteriosus (4) Vlogs (2) VSD (40) win (1) yorkshire (1)

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Make a donation

Help us provide a better start for tiny hearts. Make a single or regular donations to help babies with heart defects have a fighting chance.

Donate now

Subscribe to our newsletter

You can change your email preferences at any time. Read how we keep your data safe in our Privacy Policy. 

  • Accessibility
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Fundraising Complaints Policy

© 2023 Tiny Tickers • Registered Charity No: 1078114

 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.