Newborn baby given devastating diagnosis after being rushed to A&E with suspected cold sores

A newborn baby has been diagnosed with a hole in his heart – after being taken to A&E with a suspected cold sore. Gabrielle Bryan and Tyler Rees took Bertie to hospital after noticing a blister on his lip just six days after his birth in February.

Doctors told the Gloucester couple the blister was nothing to worry about – but they noticed a heart murmur in the infant. The next day Bertie was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) or a “hole in his heart”.

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

“Then the doctors detected a heart murmur, and the next day he was seen by a pediatric cardiologist, who diagnosed him with a large VSD. At this point, we didn’t know much about heart conditions and were thinking the worst.

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

Gabrielle and Tyler immediately felt relief after meeting parents and children who had gone through the same experience — and quickly decided they needed to give back. “I had seen a poster on the hospital wall for Heart Heroes and we went together 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. I was able to see how well he was developing and got advice from the other parents as well.

“When we first found out, we felt so alone. I knew nothing about heart disease and truly thought we were going to lose him. To get that support helps us go. I also want to help others who will be in me. situation in the future.”

The couple have now started fundraising alongside friends, completing various physical challenges to raise money for Heart Heroes. Gabrielle’s friends and colleagues Sgt Rachel Harle and Corporal Amy Trimnell have so far raised £650, with plans to complete 5km of burpees on June 12 in a challenge called ‘Burpees for Bertie’, while his friends Smiths Rugby’s Tyler will run the Cheltenham Half Marathon. for the cause.

Smiths Rugby raised £3,142 through a combined Cup Final and Half Marathon on September 1st. “My partner 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 run the half marathon on September 1. Gabrielle said.

“The rugby club also held a Combination Cup fundraising day which also raised £1000. From there, some of my friends in the army saw that I was fundraising and wanted to do a fundraiser too, because they know how much the charity has helped us.”

Gabrielle and Tyler hope they can continue to raise money for the charity – and also hope to highlight the importance of looking after heart conditions during pregnancy. “I think heart conditions should be treated more during pregnancy,” Gabrielle said.

“Often these heart conditions can be detected while in the womb, but we didn’t find out until they were six days old. There are petitions for scans to be done all over the country, because right now there aren’t, and that’s how things get missed.

“I want to be there to give 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 is dedicated to supporting children with heart conditions throughout their lives and their families, like Bertie.

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