Red bench unveiled for local girl with heart condition

A red bench has been unveiled in Broughton Gifford recognising a local girl who was born with two serious heart defects and underwent life-saving surgery as a newborn baby.

Six-year-old Amalie Roberts, who lives in the village, was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) and a ventricular septum defect (VSD) following her mum Sophie’s 20-week scan.

Amalie is one of dozens of people sharing their story as part of a new national campaign by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). To mark 65 years of lifesaving work, the charity is unveiling 65 red benches across the UK in tribute to those living with heart conditions and to raise awareness.   

Amalie’s bench was installed thanks to the work of Broughton Gifford Parish Council.

Amalie’s parents, Sophie and Matt, remember the shock of the diagnosis after specialists at Bristol Children’s Hospital confirmed that their daughter would need open-heart surgery soon after birth to survive.

Sophie said, “After the 20-week scan, we spent two agonising days not knowing if it was something minor or something catastrophic. When the cardiologist finally said, ‘We can treat this,’ the relief was indescribable. It was still terrifying, but knowing Amalie had a chance changed everything.”

At just 18 days old, Amalie underwent an eight-hour operation to switch her major blood vessels and repair the hole in her heart.

Sophie said, “The worst part was handing Amalie over to the surgical team – I’ll never forget her little face. We then had to try occupying ourselves for the rest of the day. We tried to watch something light-hearted on television, but it’s impossible to distract yourself – you’re just anxiously waiting for the phone to ring. I’ll never forget when we heard she was going to be OK, and all that tension was finally over.”

After nine days in intensive care and two days in high dependency, Amalie was able to return home just before Christmas. Today, she is thriving and leading a normal life, although she continues to have ongoing check-ups.

Sophie said, “Amalie wishes the bench was purple, fluffy and covered in glitter. She feels really special having a bench in her name. At just six years old, she might not fully understand what it represents, but we’ve explained why it’s there and what it means. She’s super excited about it, and for us, it’s a beautiful way to celebrate how far she’s come.”    

Since Amalie was born, the Roberts family have raised nearly £23,000 for the BHF and have more fundraising challenges planned. Matt said, “We are forever in debt to the doctors and nurses who cared for Amalie, and fundraising is our way of saying thank you and helping other families who might face what we went through. Amalie’s life was saved because of research, and we want to make sure that progress never stops so more children have the chance of a healthy future.”

The BHF hopes the red benches will raise awareness of heart conditions and encourage people to donate to its groundbreaking research.