A father who is running three marathons to raise funds for the hospital heart unit that saved his baby son’s life today called on the Government to rescue it from closure.
Andrew Fassnidge, 33, has raised £7,000 for the Royal Brompton Hospital after its paediatric heart surgeons treated his son, Taylor Finn, for a blocked aorta at two months old.
Mr Fassnidge, a marketing manager from Holland Park, today added his voice to a reinvigorated campaign to save the unit, after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt ordered an independent review of the plans.
As he prepared for his third marathon in a fortnight, Mr Fassnidge called the closure threat “crazy” and said: “My son may need further treatment. It would be awful if the unit was moved to another hospital. We know the doctors and nurses. We have had the same surgeon for two operations.
“If you speak to anybody at the Brompton or other London hospitals, they feel the demand is there.”
The closure would leave London paediatric heart services concentrated at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Evelina Hospital, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Trust. Doctors believe that with check-ups, Taylor Finn will enjoy a full recovery after surgery last year.
“To walk around the ward to see the kids they have treated is unbelievable,” Mr Fassnidge said. “For us, the proof of what they can do is our baby. He is now a healthy little boy. That to me is the power of the hospital, and why I’m taking on this challenge.”
Mr Fassnidge is having physiotherapy before Monday’s Dublin marathon, after the Kingston and Amsterdam races. Eight miles into his second marathon he was seizing up, he said. “But every time I thought about it, I just thought it was nothing compared with what my son has been through.”
To donate, visitjustgiving.com/taylorfinn or text FASS78 and the amount (eg FASS78 10 for a £10 donation) to 70070.
