A fundraising drive aims to support kids with heart defects writes Helen O’Callaghan.

Begin the festive season in eco-friendly style with the limited-edition, grand-tartan nappy cover from gNappies, €23.95.

Former Republic of Ireland midfielder Damien Duff has spoken of the “longest four hours” of his life as his baby son underwent heart surgery.

Damien Duff turned down an offer from England manager Roy Hodgson to receive his 100th Ireland cap in a special presentation before Ireland’s recent game at Wembley.

GOD, it appears, was on the phone when He was putting James Mohan’s little ticker together.

A PARENTS’ support group for children with congenital heart defects is furious at the delay in fitting out a new cardiac out-patients’ department in the national children’s hospital.

RÓISÍN RUDDLE'S heartbroken parents say they will be forever haunted by their daughter's death because her chance of life was denied by a health system they had trusted.

TWENTY children had vital heart surgery cancelled at the country’s leading children’s hospital so far this year because of a shortage of intensive care nurses.

JASON LOGAN-MACKIN is very small for his age but he can always rely on his father to stand up for him and fight his corner.

JUST over a month ago Taoiseach Bertie Ahern opened a centre for 44 voluntary groups.

A CHILD could die every day as a result of vital heart surgery being postponed, medical sources have warned.

MORE THAN two heart operations for seriously ill children were cancelled every month this year at Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin, a report has revealed.

AN independent investigation into the events surrounding the death of a two-year-old Limerick girl after her heart operation was postponed is expected to be completed in late September.

HEALTH Minister Micheál Martin is expected to agree to the request made by Róisín Ruddle’s parents for an independent inquiry into their daughter’s death.

THE parents of the two-year-old girl who died after her heart operation was postponed have called for an independent inquiry into her death.

THE circumstances leading to the death of two-year-old Róisín Ruddle must be made public, Heart Children Ireland insisted yesterday.

WHILE the privacy of the Ruddle family must be respected, it would be a travesty of justice if the Government was able to cite this as a valid reason for withholding publication of the report on the tragic death of their daughter Róisín.

LORCAN McNAMARA, who will celebrate his sixth birthday next week, has already undergone vital heart surgery twice during his short life.

ONE mother’s way of coping with her daughter’s heart surgery is helping parents of children with congenital heart defects.

ANGRY health campaigners called for the Government to act last night after a two-year-old girl died because doctors were forced to cancel her heart surgery

MÁIRÉAD BROSNAN is one of many young adults living with a serious congenital heart defect. Because of advances in cardiac surgery and medication in the last 20 years children with serious heart problems have reached adulthood.

FIVE-YEAR-OLD Lorcan McNamara is one of hundreds of children whose chances of surviving open heart surgery could be maximised with a machine that is available in other countries — but not in Ireland.

THE man who stole Christmas from thousands of children faces the threat of being homeless from today.

THOUSANDS of people who paid by credit card for the failed Winter Wonderland project will get their money back.

THOUSANDS of people, including 600 seriously ill children, were hit with a Christmas crisis yesterday as the Winter Wonderland project in the Curragh was cancelled.