Camden’s Kyle Taylor and Chase Stuart prepare for Two Feet and a Heartbeat walk for HeartKids

An uncle and nephew duo have a special bond that is ‘Fifteen Strong’, which signifies the combined number of heart procedures they have gone through. Read their story.

The bond between a nephew and uncle in southwest Sydney is like no other after both of them needed heart surgery when they were less than a year old.

Now, the pair are preparing to put on their walking shoes to raise funds for charity.

When Kyle Tyler was seven months old, he had been in and out of hospital with what doctors thought was a severe case of bronchitis.

But, after his parents rushed him back to hospital less than a day after he had been checked out, they would find out it was something far more serious.

Kyle was diagnosed with a coarctation of aorta and bicuspid aortic valve, meaning he needed to have heart surgery.

The procedure was done through his back and involved a section of his aorta being cut out and stitched back together.

“My parents were in shock when they found out as they had never known anyone in our family with a heart condition,” Kyle said.

“They were scared, upset and anxious of the unknown.”

To this day, 27 years later, Kyle has annual check-ups to make sure everything is working as it should.

“I get quite anxious during the lead up and at the time of my annual check-ups. I continued to be seen by Dr KC Lau from Westmead Children’s Hospital until I was 18 years old,” he said.

“My final visit with Dr Lau was emotional as he had done so much for me and my family.

“Since then, I have maintained regular ongoing check-ups at Macarthur Cardiology with Dr Upal Premawardhana.”

In 2015, Kyle’s sister Elise Stuart gave birth to Chase. At his 20-week scan, they discovered he had a congenital heart disease.

“He was taken straight to the NICU and had open heart surgery at two days old,” Elise said.

“A lot of the heart diseases, they don’t know the cause. For example, Chase only has half a heart, they don’t know why the other half didn’t develop.

Kyle Taylor and his nephew Chase Stuart, 7. Picture: Annie Lewis

“They are monitoring him because he does have a stent in his heart and so they have to keep an eye on everything.”

Chase is now seven years old, but he has already had 14 surgeries.

Visiting him in hospital gave Kyle a little bit of insight into what his parents went through.

HeartKids stepped in to help the family with vouchers for food, petrol and accommodation as well as support and respite through the whole process.

“Mum and dad were not aware of HeartKids at the time and it would’ve made their journey a little bit easier if they did,” Kyle said.

Elise said one-in-100 children in Australia will be diagnosed with a heart condition and it is the biggest cause of infant loss in children under one.

Kyle and Chase are walking in honour of children living with congenital or acquired childhood heart disease and the young lives lost too early to this disease.

Their team name is Fifteen Strong, which signifies the connection between the uncle and nephew and the combined number of heart procedures.

Kyle, Chase and their family are encouraging people to register for the annual HeartKids Two Feet and a Heartbeat charity walks on October 16, to help raise funds for kids living with congenital heart disease.

Two Feet and a Heartbeat is a 4km walk in honour of the four lives lost each week to congenital heart disease. However, for those looking for a longer challenge, they can choose to do an 8km walk in honour of the eight babies born each day with CHD.

The walk is an opportunity for HeartKids supporters, friends and families to come together in support for the eight Australian babies who are born with congenital heart disease each day and honour the Heart Angels and all in the HeartKids community.

For more information on Kyle and Chase’s fundraising efforts, click here. For more details on the event, click here.