Mum thanks hero doctors who fixed hole in her daughter’s heart

Leah Sharp underwent seven-and-a-half-hour open heart surgery at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children but was back home in Dunbar within less than week.

The four-year-old had been diagnosed with Atrioventicular Septal Defect (AVSD).

Mum Lauren Koch praised NHS staff for their efforts.

She said: “I just think that a lot of the time they do not get appreciated for what they do.

“In her four years of living her life, she has had two major surgeries which have been extremely successful.

“I never doubted them for a minute but just to see the care she was given, how well she was looked after and what they were able to achieve, they definitely deserve more recognition than what they get.”

AVSD is a heart defect in which there are holes between the chambers of the right and left sides of the heart, and the valves that control the flow of blood between these chambers may not be formed correctly.

The heart condition was spotted after Leah was diagnosed with a condition where the bones had fused too quickly in her skull and she would need corrective surgery.

During a six-month check-up, doctors found an issue with her heart.

After initially being told that it would not affect her daughter, Lauren, 25, was then told that Leah would need surgery.

Four-year-old Leah Sharp underwent open heart surgery in Glasgow

She said: “It was a bit of a shock.

“I did not read anything on the condition she has because the heart is such a complex thing.

“There are so many different defects and, unbeknown to a lot of people, defects happen all the time and lots of people live with them.

“It was definitely a shock to hear it would be open heart surgery.”

The operation took place in Glasgow on March 25.

Lauren, who works with Dunbar-based Dry Fusion, travelled through to the hospital with her dad, David, who is a member of Dunbar’s RNLI.

She said: “We did not really know what to do.

“We went to the shopping centre close by and had something to eat.

“Leah’s dad was there with two grannies but we just sat about most of the day. It was a long time.

“She was admitted on the Thursday, had the operation on the Friday morning and then we were made aware by the nurses that she was put on something called fast track because it was so successful.

“They tried to move her through the steps to get her out of hospital as quickly as possible and she was discharged on the Monday.”

The youngster, who is due to start school after the summer holidays, has made an amazing recovery and is due to visit the hospital for her latest check-up on Monday.

Lauren said her daughter was looking forward to beginning school after the summer holidays.

She added: “That’s all she talks about!

“She has got a brand new heart and is going to primary one – that’s the way she sees things now: ‘I can run so fast with my brand new heart.’

“She is so chuffed and it is honestly like nothing has happened.

“It has not phased her at all.”