Wear Red Day: Leeds primary school pupils show their support for brave classmate with heart condition

Seven-year-old Luca Fox has undergone open heart surgery several times and has spent a great deal of his childhood in hospital.

The Guiseley schoolboy was born with a series of complex heart defects, which has meant little normality in his short life so far.

But when he’s not in hospital, Luca loves nothing more than spending time with friends.

So, it was a moving sight when he arrived at St Oswald’s Primary School on Friday (January 2) to see that all of his classmates had turned up wearing red to show their support for him.

Wear Red Day is the annual event organised by the Leeds-based Children’s Heart Surgery Fund. It raises money to support the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit, which is where many children like Luca receive treatment.

Typically, St Oswald’s hosts a raffle for Luca’s year group. But this year, staff went all out in their fundraising efforts, with the school decked out in sequins, glitter and balloons, as all teachers, parents and pupils wore red.

Luca’s mum Lindsay, 40, said: “It was amazing, the whole school has been so supportive. Luca was completely overwhelmed.

“He’s a die-hard Man City fan, so he was a bit torn about wearing red – but everyone was really keen to get involved. It was so lovely.”

Last year, the school showed their love for Luca by raising more than £500, but this time organisers are hoping for an even bigger total.

Luca was in hospital earlier this week for more investigative work, to determine where and when surgeons will need to operate next.

Once he has recovered from his next surgery, he has plans to join friends in climbing Beamsley Beacon in the Yorkshire Dales to raise more money.

But that’s just one way in which his pals have showed their support, Lindsay explained.

“They always chip in with their pocket money, and considering that everyone is so strapped for cash, it’s absolutely mega.

“Luca is never going to get better and there’s not going to be an easy fix. There are so many problems with his heart. We just have to take each day as it comes.

“But his friends are behind him all the way. They go and get his dinner if he’s feeling tired and help him with things all the time. They are just so kind.”

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Earlier this week, Luca’s best mate Lucas surprised him with a visit to the Etihad. His friend's dad had got in touch with the club and managed to arrange for the youngsters to meet the Man City players, to their disbelief.

Lindsay said: “He was absolutely beside himself.

"He was in hospital at the start of the week and then he was meeting his idols. It’s like the reality and then the fantasy."

To find out more about Wear Red Day, go to the Children's Heart Surgery Fund website.