Northumberland man born with holes in heart marking 21st birthday his parents 'never dared think about'

When Harry Short was born on Christmas Eve 2003, he had congenital heart disease and holes in two of his heart's four chambers.

At four weeks old, he underwent surgery to put a band around his heart in the hope of fixing the issue. This didn't work, so he needed a further nine hour operation and three months in intensive care at the Freeman Hospital.

Now, he is approaching his 21st birthday - a milestone his parents thought he would never reach. Harry, from Prudhoe, marked the festive period by volunteering for a day at a British Heart Foundation shop in Newcastle city centre as a way of thanking the charity for the research that saved his life.

He has also bought his parents presents from the BHF Vintage shop on Clayton Street in Newcastle. Harry volunteered alongside mum Lindsey - and the duo are now backing the charity's 'Operation Elf' Christmas campaign which aims to persuade people to sign up as one-off volunteers.

Harry said: "This is a very special birthday coming up on Christmas eve for me and my parents. I wanted to do something that made a difference and give back to the British Heart Foundation. Without the research they’ve funded over the past 63 years surgeons like the amazing Mr Hasan and his team at the Freeman wouldn’t have been able to work their magic and save my life."

Mr Hasan is the well-respected Mr Asif Hasan, who has carried out hundreds of vital heart operations over the years. Harry continued: “I loved spending a few hours at the Newcastle Vintage store. There was so much needed doing, from sorting through books and toys to sorting clothes and helping behind the till. It was all go. Even in the space of a few hours we could see the difference we were making. The welcome from the team was wonderful. We just felt right at home and I’m hoping to volunteer regularly now.

"I bought my mum and dad a gift each from the store which I’m going to wrap up and put under the tree for them. Gifting something from a BHF store has so much meaning for us. I literally owe my life to the research that BHF funds, and my family are acutely aware of that."

Lindsey remembered how ill Harry had been. He added; "Harry was a very poorly baby and if someone could have told me back then that we would be celebrating his 21^st birthday and having so much fun together, I wouldn’t have dared let myself think that far ahead.

“Sharing this day with him ‘elfing’ at the BHF shop has been a complete joy. I’ve bought Harry a present from here too and all our Christmas cards. I can see already that it’s going to be emotional on Christmas day when me and his dad Gary open these gifts."

Harry's early days were fraught back in 2003, and he went under the knife on several occasions. Lindsey added: "He spent three months in intensive care on a ventilator where he was fed through a tube. He didn’t like the band at all. He was a very unhappy poorly baby.

“He developed necrotizing enterocolitis of the bowel as his heart condition meant that his bowel wasn’t getting enough oxygen so it basically died and a large section of his bowel had to be removed which left him with a huge scar.

“A couple of months later they realised his heart had swollen and the doctors decided to remove the band and do a full fix operation. It took nine hours. He was so tiny. Then he had another op to correct two hernias where they also took out his appendix."

She added that Harry couldn't even drink milk, and it was five months on the wards until, finally, he was able to go home. The complications Harry faced didn't end there though.

Lindsey continued: "Harry was also born with 5 tiny spleens instead of one and with his liver on the wrong side. The spleens didn’t work properly so he was very prone to infection. He had to take antibiotics every day until he was 16."

BHF Newcastle Vintage Store manager, Rebecca Shaw said: “We loved having Harry and Lindsey at the store helping out. It was very poignant for us to spend time with Harry knowing that the shops help fund the research that makes such a huge difference to people’s lives.

"I’m delighted that Harry wants to volunteer with us now on a regular basis having experienced an elfing shift with us. Many hands really do make light work and we need volunteers and are always ready with a warm welcome and a cup of tea, so please do pop into your local BHF store or go to our website."

People are encouraged to donate items to the shop before Christmas rather than after, as this means they can then sell them on as Christmas gifts for others. The BHF said that its research now meant eight in 10 babies born with congenital heart disease in the UK survived their childhood.