When Malahki was just 16 years old, he had a heart attack.

His Mum, Danielle, recalls picking him up from school like every other day. Malakhi said he felt unwell but there was nothing out of the ordinary to suggest he would have a heart attack.

But suddenly, Malakhi began to convulse and became unconscious. Danielle drove him straight to the hospital where nurses and paramedics saw them approaching and stepped in.

Danielle heard words no parent should ever hear - “He’s not breathing”. They immediately began to resuscitate him but he hadn’t been breathing for a very long time and had to be transferred to the Intensive Care unit immediately.

“I prepared myself to lose him, I couldn’t see how he could come back from it,” said Danielle.

Thankfully, the team at Blacktown Hospital were able to save Malakhi’s life and discovered that he had a genetic heart condition that had never been detected. They were able to treat it, and Malakhi is now a healthy boy who recently celebrated his 17th birthday with family and friends.

But there’s more work to be done. Every day, we are seeing more and more patients at Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals and we need more equipment to ensure we can give our patients the best and the fastest care when it matters most.

With your help, we are aiming to raise $20k to purchase a cardiac monitor. It’s a non-invasive tool that allows doctors and nurses to quickly assess the patient’s condition and determine the best treatment.

"One day, it could be your son or your daughter and all you can do is hope that they have all the equipment they need to save their life."

This Christmas, give a gift from the heart, to save a heart.

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