For Lindsay Copley and her fiancé Jason, the wait was a special kind of torture. Sitting in their campervan in a hospital car park in November 2022, they tried to distract themselves with walks, coffee, and Spiderman films. Nothing could ease the anxiety. Inside Leeds General Infirmary, their two-year-old son, Heaton, was undergoing open-heart surgery.
A Seemingly Healthy Start
Before Heaton was born, heart problems were not on the family's radar. Lindsay's only family history involved her maternal grandfather, who had heart bypass surgery in his late 60s. She assumed heart issues were an older person's ailment.
Her pregnancy in 2021 was straightforward, with all scans returning clear results. After a 'normal birth' in October, Heaton appeared perfectly healthy, hitting all his early developmental milestones. On a couple of occasions, he developed a rattling cough, and as a concerned first-time mum, Lindsay took him to the GP. The doctor diagnosed a virus and prescribed an inhaler.
The Telling Signs and a Shocking Diagnosis
The turning point came in the autumn of 2022 when Heaton was around nine months old. Lindsay spoke to his childminder, a former ICU nurse, about a worrying observation. She had noticed a blue tinge to Heaton's lips, hands, and feet after his bath. The childminder immediately advised getting him checked out.
Their GP tried to listen to Heaton's heart, which Lindsay found odd, but the toddler grew so distressed he was referred to Grimsby outpatient's department for further tests in March 2023. Confident his heart wasn't the issue, Lindsay, who usually suffers from anxiety in hospitals, felt calm.
That confidence shattered after nurses took Heaton for an ultrasound. The consultant asked a nurse to distract Heaton so he could 'speak to Mum'. Lindsay instantly knew something was wrong. She was told Heaton had an Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD), a congenital condition involving two large holes in the wall between his heart's chambers. He would need open-heart surgery to repair it.
Lindsay was distraught and unable to process the news. When she returned the next day with Jason, they asked why the holes weren't detected during pregnancy scans. The explanation was simple yet devastating: sometimes these things are missed.
The Agony of Waiting and a Successful Operation
Heaton was placed under the care of the specialist cardiac team at Leeds General Infirmary. Because his case was not deemed urgent, the family faced an agonising 18-month wait to find out when the surgery would happen, calling the hospital most months for updates.
Lindsay's cleaning business took a backseat as she struggled with worry, and Jason, who works for the police, also found it difficult to cope. The uncertainty was the hardest part.
Finally, in August 2024, they received the call. The surgery was scheduled for 11 September 2024. At 3 pm that day, Jason held Heaton as he was put to sleep for the operation. The procedure, expected to take five or six hours, stretched to nearly eight. Surgeons successfully closed both holes and repaired two leaking heart valves.
Heaton was out of surgery and okay. Lindsay's hospital anxiety initially prevented her from visiting him in the chaotic ICU, but Jason went straight up, sending photos of their son looking vulnerable with complicated tubes protruding from his chest. Eventually, Lindsay found the courage to see him.
A Thriving 'Young Heart Hero'
Heaton's recovery was remarkably swift. After two days in ICU, he was moved to High Dependency and, despite being grumpy from the constant prodding, charmed the entire staff. Just five days after major open-heart surgery, he was allowed home.
Today, Heaton is a hilarious four-year-old who loves Spiderman, arts and crafts, and racing toy cars. He thrives at nursery and proudly shows off his 'superhero scar' to anyone who asks. In September 2025, he won a British Heart Foundation Young Heart Hero award.
He will require annual check-ups with the cardiology team, likely for life, but for Lindsay, this is a small price to pay. Seeing her son happy and healthy after everything he has endured is all that matters.
