Eleven-year-old Louis Fox, a pupil at Norton Hill School, from Midsomer Norton, may look familiar. Last year, he appeared in a short film by the British Heart Foundation to promote their ‘Bag It. Beat It’. campaign, alongside other children born with congenital heart disease.

Louis was born with transposition of the great arteries, having to have open heart surgery when he was just ten days old, a terrifying start for his parents. His two major arteries were the wrong way around, with the techniques used in his operation known as ‘the switch’, developed by pioneering scientist and then British Heart Foundation Professor, Sir Magdi Yacoub, in the 1970s.

Congenital heart conditions develop in the womb, and Louis will need monitoring throughout his life and particularly through his childhood, as he grows, by specialists. The BHF is carrying out ongoing research into the potential genetic reasons why babies are born with heart defects. In the 1950s, eight out of ten babies with complex congenital heart conditions would have died before their first birthday. Now, thanks to medical advances, eight out of ten babies with such conditions will grow up to be adults.

As well as his appearance on our screens last year, Louis has also featured in this year’s summer campaign in a film called ‘Alive’, which showcased the successes of British Heart Foundation

research, those it has helped and finally, someone it could not – to emphasis the importance of continued support so that medical advances can be made. Currently, the charity is training over 200 schools in CPR skills, aiming to educate pupils and teachers in how to become a life-saving force.

The Bag It. Beat It. campaign was the charity’s mass stock appeal, with the film asking children what unwanted items they would donate to BHF shops, helping over 40,000 schoolchildren like themselves living with congenital heart disease in the UK. Some would donate their fathers’ shirts, games, or a teddy, but much to the hilarity of the other children, Louis would donate his brother’s unwanted underwear! You can watch the BHF’s short films at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTvLMyAMyTY or the Alive campaign at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThrdjKUdTWQ