For months, Jayne and Matthew Locking lived with a fear that no parent should ever have to face - that their young son might not survive.

Arthur Locking was just two years old when a routine hospital visit uncovered a heart murmur that would plunge the family into a nightmare of hospital wards, emergency surgery and agonising uncertainty. With a newborn daughter at home, the Douglas couple found themselves bracing for a diagnosis that would change their lives forever.

What doctors eventually discovered was a rare and potentially fatal heart condition - one so uncommon it affects just one in 300,000 children.

Arthur was taken to Noble’s Hospital on November 4, 2024, after previously being treated for pneumonia. During checks, clinicians detected a heart murmur and advised it would need close monitoring. While the cause was initially unclear, doctors were concerned enough to keep Arthur under review.

By the summer of 2025, Jayne and Matthew were told the murmur had worsened. At the same time, they were caring for Arthur’s six-month-old sister, Ada, while juggling repeated hospital visits and the growing fear that something was seriously wrong.

Because specialist resources were not available on the island, the family travelled to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital for further tests. A CT scan carried out under general anaesthetic revealed the devastating truth – Arthur had ALCAPA.

ALCAPA – Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery – is a serious congenital heart defect that restricts oxygen-rich blood to the heart. Without treatment, it can be fatal, though surgery can restore normal blood flow if carried out in time.

Just months later, in October 2025, Arthur underwent open-heart surgery.

Jayne said: ‘When the doctor came out of theatre and told us Arthur had a one-in-300,000 condition that could be fatal, it was the biggest shock of our lives. The months that followed were terrifying, but we owe everything to the incredible team at Alder Hey and the support of charities like Tiny Tickers.’

Tiny Tickers is a UK charity dedicated to improving early detection, diagnosis and care for babies with congenital heart disease, while supporting families through life-changing diagnoses.

Jayne added: ‘If Arthur’s condition hadn’t been picked up when it was, the outcome could have been devastating. We had no idea how common heart defects are, or how vital early detection is. Now we want to help make sure other families don’t face the same danger without knowing.’

Against the odds, Arthur has made an extraordinary recovery, exceeding expectations and returning to the energetic toddler his parents once feared they might lose.

Now, in February 2026, the Locking family are determined to turn a near-fatal ordeal into something positive. On Valentine’s Day, Arthur will complete a ‘mini mile’ walk to raise funds for Tiny Tickers, marking how far he – and his family – have come.

Jayne said the charity’s work had been life-changing: ‘They train sonographers to detect heart defects during pregnancy scans, provide life-saving monitoring equipment in maternity units and support families like ours through the most difficult journey imaginable.’

Arthur’s family are now calling on the Isle of Man community to support their ‘little heart warrior’, with updates from his walk being shared through their fundraising page at https://www.justgiving.com/page/jayne-sinclair-2