Appeal for stolen heart monitor

Daniel said he does not want to go back into hospital

A mother is urgently appealing for help after her eight-year-old son's heart monitor scanner was stolen from her car.

Daniel Hunt from Bridgend in south Wales, is fitted with a device to monitor his heart. The equipment is, in turn, checked by another piece of equipment - a scanner, which looks like a mobile phone.

Initially, it was thought that Daniel would have to undergo surgery to be fitted with a new internal device - but now medical experts have said a substitute scanner can be made to work with the existing device.

Daniel's mother and his school have appealed to whoever committed the crime to come forward and return the vital item as soon as possible.

The thieves struck on Wednesday, ripping the car door off its hinges and stealing a bag containing the medical equipment.

Daniel's mother Tracey Hunt, 33, said the first she knew about the theft was when neighbours knocked on the door on Thursday morning to tell her someone had broken into the car in Cefn Glas.

She ran out and said her "blood ran cold" when she saw her son's school bag had been taken.

"The car's not important but when I knew that the bag was gone, I was devastated," she said. "We've already gone through so much."

Tracey Hunt is appealing for the monitor to be returned

"I just hope someone has a heart and hands it in."

Daniel, who moved from Oxfordshire six months ago, has undergone four major operations since he was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot - a type of heart problem which consists of four different defects.

He has been fitted with a device which is matched to the heart monitor which sets the heart rhythm. If his heartbeat is out of sync, the scanner can regulate it.

The scanner can be taken to the hospital for check-ups and it can show if there are any irregularities.

Terry Williams, head teacher of Litchard Primary School where Daniel is a pupil, said everyone was hoping that the monitor would be found as soon as possible.

"Daniel has missed a lot of school because of his operations, and he comes to school with the scanner," he said. "I just hope it is handed in soon."

Anyone with information is urged to contact South Wales Police on 029 20222111.