HEART PATIENT

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31989, 16 May 1969, Page 1

HEART PATIENT

David Lowden, the five-year-old Melbourne boy who is to have a heart operation in Auckland, arrived with his mother at Christchurch Airport last evening aboard a Starlifter jet transport of the United States Military Airlift Command. An hour and a half later they left for Auckland in a National Airways Corporation plane. The operation which David would undergo was particularly complicated: he had two holes in the heart, and also required the transposition of two heart arteries, Mrs Lowden said. It was hoped he would be able to leave hospital about June 20. Mrs Lowden said that she and her husband decided to bring David to Auckland because Dr B. BarrattBoyes, of the Green Lane Hospital, had the most experience in the operation required. David’s father is a sergeant in the Boyal Australian Air Force, and the Lowdens have two other children, Jon, aged seven, and Amanda, aged four. To have the operation done in New Zealand, the Lowdens obtained a loan from the R.A.A.F. Welfare Fund, are using their savings, and have been helped by their families. So that they could use their money to pay for the operation, the R.AA.F. asked the United States Air Force for help in arranging tranpsort. The jet which brought David and his mother was on a regular supply flight Mrs Lowden, who will stay with Royal New Zealand Air Force friends in Auckland, said she did not know what arrangements would be made for

the return trip to Australia in June. This would be arranged by the R.A.A.F. David stepped off the Starlifter clutching toys and wearing wings and a campaign ribbon given to him by the crew of the aircraft. He had had a marvellous time on the aircraft and the crew had been wonderful, Mrs Lowden said.