Donors raise £50,000 for Chichester six-year-old's life-saving surgery

The money, which has been raised by more than 1,700 donors, will be used to send six-year-old Minnie to America for a surgery which could give her the best chance at life.

She suffers from a rare and complex form of heart disease called Ebstein’s Anomaly, which keeps her blood oxygen levels at dangerously low levels, and has spent most of her short life in and out of hospital.

Her first and best chance at something like a normal life is an elaborate operation called a Cone Procedure. Early efforts to secure the surgery in the UK fell short, after cardiologists told Minnie’s family that her condition was effectively inoperable, too sensitive for the procedure to work. That all changed on Boxing Day last year, when American surgeon Dr Da Silva, who invented the Cone Procedure, announced he was willing to operate.

"When we got the news, it was like everything we’ve fought so hard for – refusing to accept no as an answer – just came to fruition,” said Charlotte Tugwell, Minnie’s mum. “It was like being told ‘this might happen. She might get a repair.’ It’s almost beyond comprehension. It’s this chance of hope, happiness, the belief that everything we’ve been fighting for might pay off eventually.”

The family hopes to raise £140,000 by the time the fundraiser ends and, with plenty of people following Minnie's story on Facebook and Instagram, that looks like it could happen. For the time being, though, Charlotte said she and the family have been “blown away” by the generosity of donors all over the UK, some of whom have donated as much as £5,000 to the cause.

“Our friends and family have been very supportive, they gave us nearly £15,000. But strangers have been incredibly generous,” she explained. “One Saturday night, I published a post urging people to get us to £40,000 by the end of the week and, within an hour they smashed that target. The momentum has really grown, ands we just feel so grateful to everyone for the love and support they're showing to our child. These are total strangers, it's mind blowing to us.”