"It really does make all the difference"

Our daughter was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) at just six weeks old. Early ECG results, along with her struggle to gain weight, meant we were told she would need surgery to repair the hole in her heart. Around the same time, she repeatedly caught bronchiolitis, which sadly led to her being intubated and admitted to intensive care.

Thankfully, once she recovered from that, she turned a corner. She started to gain weight and, for a while, her heart seemed to stabilise. But in August 2023, an ECG and echocardiogram showed that one of her heart valves was now leaking. We were told she would need open heart surgery — both to close the hole and to repair the leaking valve.

In March 2024, she underwent open heart surgery. She was in theatre for nine hours. Although the operation was a success and her physical recovery went well, emotionally it was incredibly difficult. She found the pain overwhelming and was terrified any time doctors or nurses came near her scar.

Despite the outstanding care and compassion shown by the hospital staff, she became anxious about returning for check-ups. She became very self-conscious about her scar and didn’t like anyone touching it or applying oil. Even bathtime became stressful — she would wear a swimming costume in the bath as she was scared the water would hurt her scar.

She also had lots of questions — big emotional ones — about her heart, the hospital, and everything she’d been through. That’s when her amazing cardiologist, Dr Hunter, referred us to the Paediatric Clinical Psychology team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

We were introduced to the wonderful Dr Delahunty, Clinical Psychologist, in September 2024 — six months after her surgery. From the very first appointment, we discussed what she had been struggling with and agreed that the main goal of the sessions would be to help her understand her condition and process the experience of being in hospital for cardiac surgery.

Over the course of 12 sessions, Dr Delahunty worked not only with her, but also with my husband and me — helping us find ways to talk to her about her heart and answer her questions in ways that were reassuring and age-appropriate.

Together with Dr Delahunty and her team, she created a book all about her heart, her surgery, and how the whole experience made her feel. This book was a turning point — she felt proud of it, excited to share it with friends and family, and it allowed her to tell her story without feeling overwhelmed.

Dr Delahunty also created visual story pages for hospital visits, which really helped ease her anxiety around attending appointments and having ECGs and echoes.

By the end of her sessions, the change in her was incredible. She became much more confident, more comfortable attending the hospital, and began to allow doctors to examine her scar.

We honestly don’t know what we would have done without this support. Last year was one of the most difficult times of our lives, but we got through it thanks to the compassion, care and expertise of the cardiac and psychology teams.

A heartfelt thank you to Dr Delahunty and Dr Hunter — your support has meant everything to our family.

We truly believe that this kind of psychological support should be available to all cardiac children in Scotland. It really does make all the difference.