Akel’s story Home Akel’s story At her prenatal scan, Lyndsey was told her baby’s heart had not developed properly and he would require immediate and ongoing surgery. She was sent straight to Brisbane to meet with specialists to discuss what life would be like for the family after he was born. “We were very scared we didn’t think he was going to have much chance of surviving.” said Lyndsey, Akel’s mum. Diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, Akel, who is now three, has already spent a lot of time in hospital, but he is a true fighter. Currently, Akel relies on an ECMO machine to help him breathe and keep him alive. ECMO is a life support technique which supports the heart and lungs while the body is fighting an illness or injury. “We travel to Brisbane for regular cardiologist appointments every six months, sometimes earlier if he has an upcoming procedure. If it were not for the services of the Foundation like music therapy and the toy loans, Akel would be very miserable and bored during these appointments and his hospital stays. But more importantly, without an ECMO machine, funded by the Foundation my son wouldn’t be here.” Lyndsey said. Akel’s journey is ongoing, but despite all he has been through he remains a delightful, happy, cheeky little boy, who loves music, spending time playing with his siblings, superheroes and food!! “We are all so proud of Akel and how hard he fights to be here. It’s been a really tough journey, but we would gladly do it all again just to have him with us.” Lyndsey said. Read more Wonder Warrior stories Your donation will help fund life-saving medical research and critical equipment, and provide the highest level of care for sick kids, just like Akel. Donate Once Donate Monthly Your donation will work wondersfor sick kids today.Would you like to donate monthly? Your donation of will work wonders for sick kids Your Details Have a PO Box or can't find your address? State*ACTNSWNTQLDSATASVICWA Country Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Réunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe < Back Your donation of will work wonders for sick kids Your donation of will work wonders for sick kids Your donation of will be charged on the of next month and the following months thereafter Your donation of will be charged today and on the of the following months thereafter Payment Details Credit Card Direct Debit MastercardVisaAmex Month*010203040506070809101112 Year*20202021202220232024202520262027202820292030 15th of every month 28th of every month What is CVV? What is Date of Debit? 15th of every month 28th of every month 15th of every month 28th of every month For more information please check our Terms & Conditions Your request is being processed. < Back Other ways you can help Everything we do for sick and injured kids is made possible by the generosity and support of our donors, partners and the community.