Charity to receive $20,000 after heartfelt story

In April, Winslow asked employees to nominate a charity that was close to their hearts and that had made a difference to their lives to be the recipient of a $20,000 donation.

Thank you to everyone who shared their heartfelt stories and nominations.

After careful consideration, Winslow, via the Allenby Foundation, will donate $20,000 to HeartKids (Victoria), which was nominated by Winslow Constructors Operator Luke Turner.

He has two special reasons for his nomination – his seven-year-old twin sons Jake and Logan both have chronic heart disease, which has required Jake to undergo surgery three times and both have regular checkups with a cardiologist.

“Regular monitoring while pregnant with twins is normal,” Luke said. “During a scheduled ultrasound it was discovered that Logan had aortic stenosis (a condition where the heart’s aortic valve, which controls blood flow from the heart to the body, narrows).

“Not much can be done while pregnant but increased appointments and two weekly ultrasounds were done to keep an eye on any changes.

“At 35 weeks gestation the twins were born naturally at Monash Medical Centre and whisked away to have echocardiograms, which uses sound waves to create pictures of the heart.

“It was found that Logan actually had pulmonary stenosis and an atrial septal defect (hole) and Jake was also tested and was found to have the exact same conditions, only his was more severe.”

To have both heart conditions is uncommon, let alone in both twins. Fortunately, Jake recently had a successful surgery after a three-year wait.

HeartKids provides support and special days for children, and their families, born with heart disease.

Luke said the charity is deserving of the donation because its support puts smiles on kids’ and parents’ faces during some very tough unknown times.

“We have been lucky enough to be a part of HeartKids’ annual Christmas party,” Luke said.

“It was a free day for us where the kids received presents, lunch and snacks were provided and rides, art drawings and animal farms were there.

“Everything was free at Christmas time when money is tight and possibly wouldn’t have been affordable to so many families.

“All of this to try make the kids’ lives a little more normal.”

Winslow Group General Manager Operations Stephen Strano said Luke’s story aligned with the Winslow’s values of family first.

“As a parent, I was touched by Luke’s story about his sons Jake and Logan and their health struggles,” Stephen said.

“At Winslow, we care about the health and wellbeing of our employees and their families, which is why we are excited to support HeartKids to help with the work it does to assist children with heart disease.”