Charlie

Age 9

St Andrew's Children's Hospice

"My Surgeon"

Charlie is nine years old. He was born with a complex heart condition - he has no septum and the right ventricle of his heart does not function properly. Charlie has now had three operations and the surgeon has performed a procedure to bypass his heart so that the majority of blood does not flow through his heart to reduce the pressure that puts on the organ. At the same time the surgeon removed a lump from Charlie's rib cage. The latest operation will hopefully prolong and improve Charlie's quality of life before he deteriorates again and needs to have a lung and heart transplant.

Charlie describes himself as, "cheeky, funny, handsome and all the girls like me". He has painted a picture of his surgeon who he considers as his hero. Charlie said before the latest operation that it will "make him better forever", he also said to his mum Megan on the way to theatre this time that he is like Pinocchio, because he feels wooden but once he has had the operation "I'll turn into a real boy". The other images in his picture are the things he sees on the way to theatre.

Please note this case study (images and copy) must not be used or replicated in any other form without prior consent from Children's Hospices UK.

This artwork is framed in a white wood frame. The artwork measures 792mm wide, by 545mm high.