Myles’s Project

The Objective

Myles Maxwell was born with a congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which means the left side of his heart is missing. There is no known cause or cure.

The six-year-old has already had three open-heart surgeries – the first of which happened when he was just two days old.

Myles is a fighter and has endured many trips to the ICU (including life support), chest drains, feeding tubes and ventilators, as well as a constant battery of appointments for scans and blood tests.

He is now at school and happily plays with other children but is always apologetic that he has to take time-outs to catch his breath. He tires very easily and can become disorientated.

The school playground and the play area in his local park also present dangers for Myles because he’s on blood-thinning medication – which means he has to be ultra careful not to fall and cut himself.

His parents, Anthony (a water industry engineer) and Rebecca, turned to Band of Builders for help to create a back garden space where Myles can play in safety at home and at his own pace.

Background

Myles Maxwell was born with a congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which means the left side of his heart is missing. There is no known cause or cure.

The six-year-old has already had three open-heart surgeries – the first of which happened when he was just two days old.

Myles is a fighter and has endured many trips to the ICU (including life support), chest drains, feeding tubes and ventilators, as well as a constant battery of appointments for scans and blood tests.

He is now at school and happily plays with other children but is always apologetic that he has to take time-outs to catch his breath. He tires very easily and can become disorientated.

The school playground and the play area in his local park also present dangers for Myles because he’s on blood-thinning medication – which means he has to be ultra careful not to fall and cut himself.

His parents, Anthony (a water industry engineer) and Rebecca, turned to Band of Builders for help to create a back garden space where Myles can play in safety at home and at his own pace.

Myles is limited to how far he can walk and what he can manage. He struggles to play or travel to anywhere that requires distance, as his oxygen levels are so much lower than other children his age. He runs out of breath and cannot manage to walk or run to keep up with other children – much to his frustration.

The Project

Myles enjoys being at home and spending time with his comforts. He wants to spend more time in his back garden but it’s currently both unsuitable and unsafe for Myles – due to slopes and big drops.

Anthony and Rebecca say that having a safe and accessible outdoor space would bring much joy to their “little miracle”.

The project involved levelling the garden and creating a safe play area.