Hutt pair show heart for other 'Zipper Kids'
The Hutt News – 21st November 2006

Riding five kilometres is a reasonable distance when you're young but a much more daunting challenge when you have a congenital heart condition. Hutt residents Breanna Peterson (9) and Nicholas Ward (11) are amongst 30 such "Zipper Kids" who will ride the last 5kms in this Saturday's Wattyl Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge to raise funds for youngsters just like them. A congenital heart condition is the most common serious birth abnormality requiring ongoing medical intervention.

This year around 400 children will undergo heart surgery. Hard to imagine when a baby's heart is the size of a walnut. Breanna was born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her throat twice and later needed open heart surgery to replace a pulmonary valve and repair a hole between the heart ventricles. She needed more surgery as a toddler when a lung collapsed. Nicholas, who last year fronted the national Heart Children NZ Inc campaign, was born with no tricuspid valve and two big holes in his heart. He was given just a 50% chance of surviving and like Breanna needed more surgery as a toddler.

These days they're happy-go-lucky Kiwi kids but may yet face medical battles. They have to take care with their sport. Nicholas, for example, would love to play rugby but without the "cushioning" around his sternum, and the breathlessness brought on by physical exertion of a fast game, he has to settle for other pastimes. The constant cardiac workout of cycling 5km, especially the uphill leg into Taupo, will take it out of them - but both are looking forward to being a part of it. Breanna's mum Karina jokes that at least she has been brought up in Maungaraki and is used to hills. The kids from flat-as-a-pancake Palmerston North and parts of Auckland could find the Taupo gradient an eye-opener. Nicholas's mum, who is the family support worker for Heart Children NZ, says there are 140 kids in Greater Wellington - 600 nationwide - supported by the organisation. Money raised goes towards such things as research grants, enabling specialist nurses from Starship's "heart kids" ward 23B to attend overseas conferences and camps for kids and teens with heart conditions.

READY TO ROLL: Breanna Peterson and Nicholas Ward's Schools (Maungaraki and Tawhai) are right behind the youngsters' bid to tackle the last 5km of the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge on Saturday. Maungaraki School's entire roll is involved in a Wheel Day on Thursday (gold coin donation), and collections are also underway at Tawhai School.