Join the Rhinos to wear red for young heart patients like Elsie

Leeds Rhinos met their match when 5-year-old heart hero Elsie Payne joined them for a special photo session on Wednesday.  

And players even wore red shirts in support of Elsie and other patients with congenital heart disease across our region. 

Leeds Rhinos are no strangers to the complications of heart disease after former forward Zane Tetevano underwent cardiac surgery last year following a stroke. 

Thousands of people will be wearing red on Friday February 2^nd within schools, businesses or as individuals, to raise money for Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF) on their annual Wear Red Day fundraiser. 

CHSF support the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit (LCHU)  with life-saving medical equipment and ward facilities, emotional, financial and practical support for affected families including parent accommodation, and essential staff training and research into congenital heart disease. Their support also covers 19 regional clinics. 

Rhinos fan Elsie was born in August 2018, and her parents were told she needed a heart scan after a routine check the day after. 

The family were told she had a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot and Elsie had life-saving open heart surgery at the Leeds Children’s Hospital to repair the defects on her tiny heart. 

Heart mum Rachel says the care she received from the LCHU made all the difference to Elsie’s recovery, but donations to CHSF are needed to keep giving optimum treatment to others. 

Rachel said: “Elsie loved meeting the Rhinos today, and the whole family are big fans of the team. It was a real bonus to have CHSF mascot Katie Bear there too. Without CHSF my daughter wouldn’t be here - previous donations have provided life-saving equipment to keep my daughter alive and I will carry on raising money so CHSF can do the same for other children.

These wonderful people will always be in our lives and I will never be able to thank anyone enough who was involved in Elsie's care enough for giving her a much better quality of life. 

"My way of repayment is to fundraise to help support children like Elsie and their families, please give what you can to help CHSF carry out their vital work.”

Around 1 in 125 babies are born with a heart defect in the UK, and over 17,000 patients of all ages are looked after by the Unit and clinics network in a typical year. 

To get involved in Wear Red Day and donate to CHSF, by text?CHSFWRD?(plus any amount up to £20) to?70085. 

You can register for the event?at the CHSF website?and receive a free online pack that contains ideas and tips for fundraising.