A dad is spearheading a major fundraising drive after his son underwent open heart surgery at just five months old.
Sam Small, 29, who works at Howden’s in Barnsley, is aiming to raise thousands for the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF), the charity that supported his family during their most difficult time.
His son Luca, now 15 months old, was born with a congenital heart defect and received life-saving treatment at the Congenital Heart Unit at Leeds General Infirmary, a specialist centre serving over 5.7 million people across the region.
Mr Small said: “Luca had open heart surgery on July 12 last year. He’s all good now – he’s perfect.
“CHSF really helped me and my family out when we needed it most. I promised myself I’d give back.”
CHSF provided Mr Small’s family with emotional and financial support, including travel assistance, meal vouchers, and counselling.
In 2024 alone, the charity delivered over 2,500 nights of accommodation, 376 Tesco vouchers, 186 travel grants, and funding helped them gain essential medical equipment like blood testing kits and ECG monitors.
Inspired by their help, Mr Small and his employer are organising a large-scale internal fundraising campaign.
With the support of his regional director, 85 depots are each aiming to raise £1,000. One major event will be a Family Fun Day and football tournament in June, which is expected to generate over £14,000 through player sponsorship, raffles, and activities.
The team aims to raise between £25,000 and £30,000 in total.
Mr Small’s JustGiving page currently shows that he has raised £825, but he estimates that the total so far raised by the combined effort of Howdens branches is around £5,000.
CHSF supports families affected by congenital heart disease (CHD), which affects one in every 125 babies. Since its founding in 1988, it has helped ensure that over 90% of CHD patients now reach adulthood.
Mr Small said: “Whether it’s helping families like mine or funding hospital equipment, I just want the money to go to good use. I’m proud we’re doing our bit.”
The fundraiser can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/sam-small-1 and more information about CHSF and their work can be found at https://chsf.org.uk/
