Football fan thrilled by heart failure campaign

A young football fan with heart failure has been left "thrilled" by the unveiling of a bench in his name, his mother said.

Archie, seven, was born with a hole in his heart and struggled to breathe due to a build-up of fluid in his heart and lungs.

His red bench was installed at the Queen Elizabeth II playing field in Billericay, Essex, to mark 65 years of the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Archie's mother, Lucie, said: "Archie is thrilled. He has been telling all his friends about his bench."

The Billericay Town fan was one of 65 people across the UK chosen by BHF for its awareness campaign.

Lucie said: "We chose the location because Archie is football mad and supports Billericay.

"I love watching him play football and running around. He has endless energy.

"It feels really special considering what he went through when he was little."

Archie's condition was discovered after a heart murmur was detected at his six-week check-up.

He was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect, a hole in the heart that is present at birth.

Lucie said it was "horrendous", but said the support from BHF had been life-changing.

Although Archie may need surgery in the future, he is no longer on any medicine and is only being monitored once a year.

"There needs to be more awareness of cardiovascular disease, because it's not something you think about until it happens to you," Lucie added.

The charity hoped its benches would encourage others to open up about their experience of living with cardiovascular disease.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, its chief executive, said: "Lucie and Archie's story shows the true reality of living with cardiovascular disease, and we are so grateful that they are courageously sharing their experiences to help others."

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