THE family of a little boy who was diagnosed prenatally with a large hole in his heart are going the extra mile to raise money for the Children's Heartbeat Trust, that provided them with support and resources during an "extremely traumatic time".

In 2017, Terina Cox, from Belleek, was attending a routine scan at week 20 of her pregnancy when she and her husband, James, were informed that their unborn baby had a large ventricular septal defect (VSD), more commonly known as 'a hole in the heart'.

"He was diagnosed during a routine scan [at the South West Acute Hospital] and then we were brought up to Belfast and they did a heart scan there," Terina told The Impartial Reporter.

"They confirmed that there was a large hole in his heart, and they told us to be prepared for surgery when he was born, over in London," she said, recalling receiving the devastating news.

"I just remember driving back down the road crying, and thinking 'this is just so terrible'. Everyone said to just try to stay positive, and we did throughout, and it proved that staying positive works, and prayers. Prayer was a big thing. I do believe that prayers got us through."

Terina explained that when her baby boy, James, was born in October 2017, he began to display early signs of heart failure, and was admitted to the Clark Clinic – the Northern Ireland centre for cardiology patients based in the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

"It was just such a relief when he was born and you had him in your hands. It was very overwhelming, the whole lot," she said.

James stayed in the Clark Clinic for three weeks before being discharged home to await his open heart surgery in London at four months old, along with all his medications, feeding tubes and syringes.

"During his stay in Belfast, we were with him every day and night, and this was only possible through the help and support from Children's Heartbeat Trust," said Terina, noting how the charity provided her and her husband, James, with accommodation in the hospital to sleep, rest, eat and have "somewhere to go if you just wanted a few moments to yourself where you could cry without everyone watching".

"We spent three weeks there, and he was on six different medications at one time. We got home then, and when he was four months old, he was flown to London for his open heart surgery," she said.

"As you can imagine, this was an extremely traumatic time in our lives. Without this help and support, it would not have been possible for us to stay with James.

"[Children's Heartbeat Trust] also gave us a room when we came back from London, for two nights. We just couldn’t have physically done it without them," she added.

Thankfully, the surgery was a success, and James is now a happy three-year-old who is starting nursery school in Belleek this September.

"It’s just absolutely fantastic, and in our house they’d be big into Gaelic football! I’ll be the first one out to support him on the pitch," said Terina.

"We are just so grateful for what he has come through," she said, noting that James likes to tell people that the doctors fixed his heart.

"At night, when he goes to bed, he says his prayers and we always thank the doctor that fixed his heart."

This month, the Cox family, along with their extended family who have been a great support during James' treatment, are taking part in the Children's Heartbeat Trust's fundraiser. 'Mile A Day In May'.

"Children's Heartbeat Trust helped greatly with fixing mammy and daddy's broken hearts. We will be forever grateful to Children's Heartbeat Trust, and this is now our opportunity to give back to them.

"We will be very thankful to anyone for any donation towards this very worthy cause," said Terina, who has been overwhelmed by the response to the fundraiser already.

To donate to the Cox family's Mile A Day In May fundraising challenge for Children's Heartbeat Trust, see https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TerinaCox.