Brooklyn the brave: Mum of 13-week-old with heart defects grateful for Heart Kids support

Brooklyn held by Natalie's partner, John Sutton, along with Jordan and Hazel and Natalie. Photo / Supplied

Brooklyn Izatt-Sutton is only 13 weeks old, and she's already undergone two heart surgeries.

Her mother, Natalie Izatt, from Taradale, believes that with everything Brooklyn has been through, she's done "really well", especially with the aid of organisations like Heart Kids.

"Watching her go through it all, seeing her hooked up to all the machines, not knowing if she'd make it through - she's done really well."

Izatt said Brooklyn has Tetralogy of Fallot, which is a rare condition caused by a combination of four heart defects that are present at birth, and causes oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and into the rest of the body, and pulmonary atresia which is a birth defect of the heart where the valve that controls blood flow from the heart to the lungs doesn't form at all.

Natalie Izatt looks lovingly at her daughter, Brooklyn, following Brooklyn's surgery. Photo / Supplied

She also has Down Syndrome which, combined with heart defects, is a lot to cope with for Brooklyn and for the family as a whole, said Natalie.

"We are currently Ward 23B in Starship, it's the heart ward. Brooklyn has only spent four weeks at home [Taradale] with us," Izatt said.

"She's just had another surgery, her second, because the shunt had started to narrow causing oxygen levels to drop and she was requiring more and more oxygen.

"She needed an open heart surgery when she was only 10 days old, that's when they put in a shunt."

Izatt found out about Brooklyn's heart defects when she was 20 weeks in utero, at the anatomy scan.

"When a specialist in Wellington told me she had a hole in her heart I broke down," she said.

"Brooklyn is my first living child, I lost my last one at 30 weeks' pregnancy. He was stillborn.

"I had Brooklyn at 35 weeks and she was only 2.2kgs. She was only little."

Brooklyn hooked up to machines at Starship following open heart surgery. Photo / Supplied

Izatt heard about Heart Kids when she was pregnant with Brooklyn, but didn't give them much thought at the time.

"When I came to Starship, they came and visited and offered support," she said.

"They gave food vouchers and offered financial support as well. They ask you how you are doing at home. It's really helpful."

She said the non-for-profit organisation was helping the family get a dehumidifier, to keep their home healthy.

Heart Kids is the only not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting New Zealand's heart children throughout life.

June 7 to 13 marks Heart Kids' Awareness Week, and the organisation, which receives no government funding, is asking New Zealanders for donations to help it continue its dedicated and much-needed support for these special Kiwi kids and their families.

Heart Kids chief executive Mark Longbottom said that many heart kids would continue to face day-to-day challenges associated with their heart condition for the rest of their lives.

"That's what we're here for. Often these children will need multiple surgeries and have ongoing health issues. We provide intensive wraparound support for heart families for as long as they want and need it," Longbottom said.

"Some of our heart kids are in their 30s now, and we continue to support them and their families."

Brooklyn looks adoringly at her mother, Natalie, at Starship. Photo / Supplied

Every year, more than 600 major heart surgeries are performed on children or babies, sometimes in their first few hours of life.

Heart Kids has over 10,000 members and is growing at 15 per cent each year.

It provides heart children and their families with practical and emotional support such as information, education, training, counselling, specialist equipment, leadership development for heart youth and adults, specialised camps for heart kids, an opportunity to connect with other families or a hot meal for hospital-bound families.

You can donate to Heart Kids at shakeabucket.org.nz and learn more about our Brave Hearts on the website: www.heartkids.org.nz.