Little Hearts Matter is delighted to announce that Suzie Hutchinson, our Chief Executive and Service Lead, has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List and is to be awarded an MBE in recognition of her services to children with congenital heart disease.

This is a fantastic honour and a highly deserved accolade. Suzie has spent over 35 years dedicating herself to supporting people living with the rare diagnosis of a single ventricle heart condition and we are so proud that her amazing work has been recognised at such a prestigious level. Suzie said;

“I am honoured to receive this award and would like to take this opportunity to highlight the fantastic staff and volunteers at LHM that have helped to make this possible. At the heart of everything we do are the families, children, young people and adults who live with just half a working heart that I feel privileged to work with and for. It is an honour to be invited to travel part of their half a heart journey with them.”

“Most importantly I would like to thank my family who always support what I do. The award is tinged with sadness, because my husband Rod passed away just 10 weeks ago and he would have been so very proud. I would not be who I am without him.”

Before Little Hearts Matter started, almost 30 years ago, families receiving a diagnosis of a single ventricle heart condition had access to very limited support and information. Today, we see a charity that has flourished into a network of support, information and community for anyone affected by a single ventricle heart condition. All of this has been spearheaded by Suzie’s passion and leadership over the years.

We are inviting you to join with us today, to celebrate Suzie and LHM for this amazing achievement. Not only does the MBE highlight the work we have done in the past, it will also help to propel us forward, to make our cause more widely known and hopefully bring our members voices into arenas for change.

Congratulations Suzie and team.