When their newborn daughter was diagnosed with a serious heart condition, a Manly couple turned to HeartKids for support, finding guidance from those who had walked the same path.
Manly Baby Faces Rare Heart Condition with Community Support
A life-saving open-heart surgery on a Manly baby highlights the struggles of families facing childhood-onset heart disease. Born with Alfi’s Syndrome and a congenital heart defect, Hunter Graham underwent surgery at four months to repair two holes in her heart.
As they work through the intricacies of her situation, her mother, Georgia, and her father, Nathan, have sought support relentlessly from the nonprofit organization HeartKids.
A Difficult Start for Hunter Graham
Doctors identified Hunter’s condition early, diagnosing her with CoHD, which affects up to one in 100 newborns in Australia. In addition, Alfi’s Syndrome, a rare chromosomal disorder, has brought further developmental and health challenges. Managing these conditions has required constant medical attention, specialist consultations, and planned future surgeries.
HeartKids has greatly supported Hunter’s family. As the only Australian organisation dedicated to CoHD, the charity provides emotional and practical assistance to affected families. Georgia and Nathan have found reassurance in speaking with HeartKids representatives who have faced similar experiences with their own children.
Ongoing Medical Needs and Community Support
Since her surgery, Hunter requires periodic medical checkups and ongoing therapy. The unknown of future surgeries looms above the family but they are set on providing the best possible treatment for her. HeartKids helped them connect to resources, interpret medical systems, and build up a network of families with identical issues.
Georgia has encouraged others to give to HeartKids, appreciating the impact of the organisation on families like hers. Fundraising and community activities enable HeartKids to offer a sense of reassurance for no child and family with CoHD to face the experience by themselves.
Raising Awareness and Assistance for Families
HeartKids is a national charity that offers services such as hospital visits, financial support, and mental health services for families living with CoHD. In addition to direct service provision, the charity has been championing greater awareness and research funding to improve treatment outcomes.
While Hunter makes her way through life, her family is devoted to her health and development, knowing that the support of HeartKids’ and the Manly community will be invaluable in the years ahead.
Published 12-March-2025
