Sarah Parish

Pencil Portrait by Antonio Bosano.

Sarah Parish Pencil Portrait
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The quality of the prints are at a much higher level compared to the image shown on the left.

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A3 Pencil Print-Price £45.00-Purchase

A4 Pencil Print-Price £30.00-Purchase

*Limited edition run of 250 prints only*

All Pencil Prints are printed on the finest Bockingford Somerset Velvet 255 gsm paper.

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Congenital heart defects are problems that develop before birth. They can occur in the heart’s chambers, valves or blood vessels. A baby may be born with only one defect or with several defects. Of the dozens of heart defects, some are mild and may need little or no medical treatment even through adulthood. Other types of congenital heart defects are life-threatening, either immediately to the newborn or over time.

For the actress Sarah Parish and her husband James Murray, the ultimate nightmare would arrive with the birth of their daughter Ella Jayne in 2008. The new born would spend four months in the PICU unit at Southampton after she was born five weeks premature with a congenital heart defect and a hole in her heart. I can barely think about this scenario without breaking out in a cold sweat. If our sense of self preservation is innate, then the arrival of a child changes everything, bringing with it a new perspective on life, and one’s priorities.

Sadly, the child would die eight months later on January 3, 2009. Looking back on this period Parish says: “Having a baby is supposed to be the happiest, best time of your life but for me it was the worst. In a maternity hospital you see people coming in with balloons and cards while you are in the middle of a hideous nightmare.”

Sometimes called a hole in the heart, this defect — the most common congenital heart defect — occurs when the muscular wall (septum) separating the bottom chambers of the heart (right and left ventricles) doesn’t fully form. The hole allows oxygen-rich blood to leak from the left ventricle into the right ventricle, instead of moving into the aorta and on to the body. In the right ventricle, the oxygen-rich blood mixes with blood that doesn’t have enough oxygen in it.

Ventricular septal defect can lead to heart failure, high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension), infection of the heart (endocarditis), irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) and delayed growth. Small holes may heal on their own or cause no symptoms. Larger holes may require surgery to stitch the hole closed or to cover the hole with a patch.