Dear ECHO community member,

Here are the latest updates from ECHO this month, including:

• Recently published guidelines on the COVID-19 vaccine for children
• Guidance on RSA (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)
• The latest ECHO Excellence Award winners 
• How ECHO is supporting cardiac teams' wellbeing
• An introduction to ECHO's new team member, Vashti 
• Plus a spotlight on some of our fabulous fundraisers

The British Cardiac Congenital Association have given some clarity around children’s vaccines.  

This update is response to newly published guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). 

The Evelina London Paediatric Cardiology team have shared this updated information about what RSV is, what the vaccination is and who needs it. 

You can find this and information about other vaccinations including flu and meningitis on ECHO's Vaccination advice for heart children page.

ECHO is really pleased to be supporting the Evelina London cardiac teams at their team wellbeing sessions this year.

We know how hard staff have been working during this past tough year, and we are delighted to attend and remind staff how what they do matters so much to the families we support.

As part of these events, ECHO:

• Gifted staff a postcard each to take home with quotes and messages from families as a reminder of the difference nurses make to the cardiac community.
• Ran an activity encouraging the cardiac nursing team to meet up with a colleague for a cuppa.
• Provided refreshments and welcomed a professional masseuse to give staff some well-deserved relaxation time with lunch break shoulder massages.

Our Chief Executive Sam was thrilled to be involved and especially enjoyed hearing from members of the nursing team what the past 18 months has been like for them and how ECHO made a difference - as well as catching up with a newly qualified nurse who is an active ECHO member and fundraiser in memory of their son.

We know that taking time to pause is essential for cardiac staff so they are able to continue providing excellent care to children affected by congenital heart disease.

We're delighted to announce the next four winners of the ECHO Excellence Awards. 

These 4 staff have been nominated by families and colleagues as individuals who have gone above and beyond to be there for children, young people and families affected by heart conditions. 

This month we've sent a winners' certificate, pin badge and voucher to: 

💚 Claire Perrett - Cardiology Senior Heath Play Specialist

💚 Farzana Shaikh - Service Manager, Paediatric Cardiac Services, Fetal Cardiology & PICU

💚 Kuberan Pushparajah - Paediatric cardiologist

💚 Ellie Cooper - PICU nurse

Congratulations to this month's winners! Head to the ECHO website to read some of the nomination feedback they received - plus nominate someone who you think deserves a special thank you.

As you probably know, ECHO relies heavily on individual contributions in order to continue carrying out the support we give to families. Especially after a very tough year for charities, we are incredibly grateful to everyone getting stuck into fundraising events and challenges as they resume after being cancelled in 2020.

Daniel and JC have been friends for almost 20 years and have taken part in different challenging sporting events in their time – but nothing quite like this one. Together they will ride 970 miles as a part of team ‘Kael’s Warriors’ in honour of JC’s son Kael who was born with CHD.

"ECHO has been part of our journey ever since, by offering the best mental and physical support, best practices, and things that would make our life easier to manage with our heart toddler.”

Lloyd will be running in the London Marathon 2021 for ECHO, after he and his partner discovered their baby would be born with a complex heart condition and after many emotional discussions, they decided not to continue with the pregnancy. Now, Lloyd and his family want to raise funds to support families affected by heart conditions: 

"At the time we didn’t feel like we could talk about our experience, it was too raw. However, we have decided now is the time to tell our story and let people know about this amazing charity."

Ben signed up to run the London Marathon for ECHO back in 2019 in support of his friend Josh whose son Archie was born with a heart condition. We're pleased that now in October 2021 Ben can finally take on his challenge as the marathon returns to London!

"Archie went through more in his first few weeks than most have to go through in their entire life. I remember visiting him in Evelina a week after he was born and holding him thinking what a little fighter he is."

Do you have a fundraising idea or want to take part in an upcoming event for ECHO? Email us today.

This past month we are delighted to welcome Vashti to team ECHO, as our new Community Coordinator.

Vashti will be joining our small but busy and dedicated team and will be leading on the exciting development of a new digital forum, as well as developing new information resources for families and supporting the growth of our communities online.

Vashti is a keen runner and foodie. When she is not pounding the streets, you’ll find her in the kitchen refuelling the tank. She has an ever growing collection of animals – alongside her three children…Pongo the Dalmatian is the best behaved! 🐶

Please help us welcome Vashti to the ECHO community. You can leave her a message on our Facebook page 💚

As always please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Team ECHO

Samantha, Siobhan, Emma, Sinéad, Kate & Vashti