by Hayley Robinson

When Logan Owens was born 15 weeks premature and with a heart defect, a special care baby unit helped him survive against the odds.

Now his parents Kirsty Hendry, 22, and Andrew Owens, 24, plan to hold a coffee morning to raise money for the charity which funds it.

Miss Hendry, of Hildesley Close, Sittingbourne, said: “We wanted to do something to say thank you for all that they did. I don’t think he’d be here today if it wasn’t for them.

“They called him the miracle child because they’d told me beforehand they didn’t think he was going to survive being born prematurely and with his heart condition.”

The tot arrived at Medway Maritime Hospital on April 24 last year weighing just 1lb 9oz.

He also had a congenital heart defect called teratology of fallot, which causes low oxygen levels in the blood and causes a bluish-purple colour to the skin.

This is the result of a hole in the heart, problems with the valve and artery that connect the organ with the lungs, the aorta going into two chambers instead of one and thickening to one of the walls.

He was immediately taken to the Oliver Fisher Special Care Baby Unit at the Gillingham-based hospital, where he remained until he was allowed home on August 8.

The following month he underwent open-heart surgery at Royal Brompton Hospital, west London, to have a shunt fitted so oxygenated blood could be carried from his heart to his lungs.

He will undergo further surgery in the next couple of months to repair the hole.

The fundraiser in aid of the unit will be held at Frinsted village hall, The Street, between 10.30am and noon on Saturday, April 6.

Visitors will be able to buy hot drinks and cake, take part in a raffle, guess the name of the teddy competition plus stalls selling bric-a-brac. Entry is free.

Miss Hendry added: “We want to raise as much as we can so we would obviously love as many people to come as possible. Depending on how it goes we may make it an annual event.