Wessex Heartbeat’s HIGH 5 Appeal will create a unit designed for the needs of young people aged 16 upwards with heart conditions.

The unit will improve their quality of life whilst in hospital, providing better surroundings and facilities for their physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing.

Thanks to advances in cardiac medicine and surgery, babies born with heart defects are surviving into adulthood and living longer than ever before.

This means there are many more young adults who need ongoing treatment and surgery.

A happier place

Going through treatment can be hard enough but feeling lonely, bored and detached from your everyday life just makes it worse.

The unit will give them a place where they’ll be with others who understand what they’re going through, where they can make friends and have more independence.

Staying in touch

It is also important that people keep in touch with their lives outside of hospital, such as their friends, study or work. 

The unit will be a place where people use a computer in quiet or hang out with friends that have come to visit. 

This will help them not to feel ‘left behind’ while everything outside of hospital carries on as normal.

The unit will be within the renowned Wessex Cardiac Centre at Southampton General Hospital and will also be for young adults who have been diagnosed with other heart problems, such as irregular heartbeats. 

This unit could be needed by our loved ones, children or grandchildren.  Let’s make sure it’s there for them.

Thank you

http://www.heartbeat.co.uk/high-5-appeal