Andrew lost his two-year-old son to congenital heart disease (Picture: Andrew Pullen)
‘Kieran’s little body fought so hard throughout his life,’ said his father Andrew Pullen.
Andrew, 49, lost his two-year-old son Kieran to congenital heart disease before he could get a life-saving heart transplant.
The now father-of-three took part in the British Heart Foundation’s 54-mile bike ride on Father’s Day last weekend – nearly 40 years after completing it for the first time – saying he did not know how much British Heart Foundation would mean to him ‘so many years on.’
Andrew’s wife, Alison, 50, fell pregnant with twins, Kieran and another baby, but because one baby was growing in the fallopian tube, Kieran’s twin had to be surgically removed halfway through the pregnancy.
Kieran was ‘lucky enough’ to survive that procedure and was born on November 25, 2002 in Worksop Hospital.
But, moments after, he started making unusual grunting noises, which was the first warning sign of a tetralogy of fallot, a combination of four congenital heart defects that need surgery to treat.
Andrew Pullen left and his friend Glenn Hammond after completing the cycle for the British Heart Foundation at Brighton Seafront (Picture: Andrew Pullen)
The initial in-utero procedure was so rare that Alison was documented in medical journals, Andrew said: ‘It was a very worrying time, there was a risk that we’d lose both children.
‘We were lucky enough to save Kieran, and the rest of the pregnancy was okay.‘
But once Alison gave birth, Andrew said: ‘We didn’t know until Kieran was born that there was anything wrong with him.
‘We were still in the delivery room when a midwife noticed he was making some strange grunting noises.
‘The team jumped into action and Kieran was quickly seen by a paediatric intensive care unit doctor who referred him to a specialist heart hospital as they found a problem with his heart.
Andrew Pullen with his son Kieran (picture: Andrew Pullen)
‘They told us he needed immediate treatment otherwise he would’ve died very quickly – it was terrifying and shocking to hear.‘
Kieran was less than 24 hours old when he had his first open-heart surgery, to increase the blood flow to his heart, as the narrowing of one of his valves was causing issues. This was essential otherwise he ‘would’ve died very quickly’.
Andrew said: ‘He was so small and the thought of him having the surgery felt impossible. I think we were all over the place – our families came up to visit him and support us.
‘It was such an emotional time, we didn’t know whether he was going to survive.’
Andrew and Glenn before the race for the British Heart Foundation (Picture: Andrew Pullen)
Kieran stayed in the hospital
Andrew said: ‘When we did eventually get Kieran home, it felt so good. Even though the surgery was remedial and we knew he would need more, it was just bliss having him home.’
Kieran had to have a total of five heart surgeries to help keep him strong enough until he would be eligible for a heart transplant, but sadly he didn’t make it.
During his final surgery to widen his pulmonary valve, Kieran’s body began to fail and he never regained consciousness.
Andrew explained: ‘Kieran was more ill than we had anticipated – he spent a couple of days on life support which was absolutely harrowing for us.’
Kieran passed away on August 24 2004 – Andrew said: ‘We buried our little boy very close to home, so he is always near us. We miss him every single day and visit him regularly.’
Andrew said he wished Kieran was there waiting for him at the finish line (Picture: Andrew Pullen)
Now, Andrew, a school caretaker, is determined to raise vital funds for the British Heart Foundation, and participated in their 54 mile bike ride.
He completed it in around six hours, with his friend, Glenn Hammond, 34, who has a son at the same school that Kieran attended.
Andrew first participated in the ride when he was just 16 years old, and said: ‘It’s crazy – little did I know how much the charity would mean to me and the rest of my family so many years on.’
Andrew said: ‘I wished Kieran could have also be there to greet me at the end but I know that instead, he was with me throughout the whole cycle.’
But his family were all there waiting for him at the finish line.
He added: ‘I loved them all at the finish line waiting for me whilst I helped to raise vital funds for the BHF and their medical breakthroughs.’
Looking back on his experiences, Andrew said: ‘I’ve always been able to keep my emotions in check, but even silly things, like watching stuff on TV, send me over the edge when I think of Kieran.
‘It does change your perspective on life and appreciate the people you love.’
Andrew admits he had no idea how important a cause the British Heart Foundation would become (Picture: Andrew Pullen)
Since Kieran’s passing, Andrew and Alison have since gone on to have two more children, Tyler, 17, and Logan, eight, as well as their first-born, Abby, 23.
But the couple admit it was a ‘very worrying time’ as they feared they would have complications similar to Kieran’s.
Fortunately, both of their sons and older daughter Abby do not have a heart condition.
Andrew said: ‘We had worries in the back of our mind when Alison got pregnant again – we made sure to have extra tests to make sure everything was okay and monitored Alison a lot more.
‘It was a very anxious time and pretty worrying – we didn’t know if it would happen again.’
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Dad Andrew has just completed a 54-mile bike ride in Kieran’s memory.