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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Jasmine Norden & Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Boy, 3, left with half a heart determined to play outside with his twin brother

A mum is determined to help her young son who has been left with half a heart play outside with his twin brother.

A rare heart condition means little Alex Moss, 3, lives a very restricted life.

Mum Kelly from Leeds, Yorkshire, gave birth to the boys in 2018 but while William was fine, Alex stopped breathing as soon as he was born.

He had to be resuscitated and was sent to the ICU, LeedsLive reports.

Days later, doctors confirmed Alex had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome - a condition that affects blood flow through the heart because of the left side not fully forming.

It left him with only half a heart working correctly and he had to undergo his first open heart surgery.

Alex lives a very restricted life but is desperate to play with his brother (Family Handout)

Now Kelly wants to raise money for a specialist pushchair so they can take him and his feeding pump on walks with his family to beaches and rivers.

The 36-year-old mum said: "It's been really hard, and I've struggled to come to terms with it. Every day I worry about him - when he's at nursery, when he's out of my sight, even in bed.

"I am constantly anxious and I feel like I have PTSD from those first few days. I had never even been in an ICU before and suddenly I could see his heart.

"Twice a year we celebrate the anniversary of each heart surgery because it's a celebration of how far he's come.

"Being told to ‘take him home and enjoy him’ and that he’s not going to survive the night are every parents worst nightmare.

Mum Kelly just wants to take them for walks together - but she needs help (Family Handout)
William's arrival was straight forward but Alex was diagnosed with a rare and very serious heart condition (Family Handout)

"William and Alex have a really special bond and it breaks my heart to think William may grow up without him.

"It's been horrendous for the older children because they're constantly concerned about him and have asked me things like 'is he going to die?'"

Kelly says the chair would transform the way Alex lives.

"It's really worrying that he keeps getting them because the surgery really relies on his lungs and if he has a chest infection he might not be able to have this surgery that he really needs," she added.

"With this chair, we'd be able to go anywhere we wanted to and Alex wouldn't be restricted.

"It would change our lives. It would mean the world for Alex to be comfortable and able to see and feel the outside properly. It would also give Josh the freedom to be a teenager."

You can donate to the GoFundMe for Alex's pushchair here.

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