“If I try hard enough, I can do as much as the other kids, just probably not for as long.”

14-year-old Carter Aplin was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at just five days old. As a huge shock to the Aplin family, Carter then underwent his first open heart surgery at four weeks old.

To date Carter has undergone two open heart surgeries and three regular heart surgeries, with nine operations in total (including surgeries for other conditions), with his most recent during the COVID period.

“I’m getting used to hospitals,” said Carter. “And travelling to Sydney and getting check-ups.” As Carter described his condition and how it affects his active ability, he mentioned he was really good at ‘explosive fitness’, just not so much the endurance side.

“I do really like sport; with my condition I just can’t run as much as the other kids. If I run around going as hard/fast as I can I’d probably only be able to do that non-stop for 10 minutes or so, then I’d put my hand up and come off and have a rest. Though with this recent operation it helped me recover a lot quicker, so now it only takes me around five minutes to recover then I’m back to normal. I play soccer, cricket and basketball. We even won the grand final this year.”

Mum, Mardi laughed, “He was the only one in the family to win this year and don’t worry, that’s the first thing he said to me!”

Mardi Continued, “Carter has dealt with so much and he is a kind, caring and funny young man he doesn’t let his condition stop him to achieving anything.

“As he’s much bigger now, the last operation he had was done through Cardiac Catheterization, and the way that science has advanced in his 14 years is remarkable. Even the last surgery he had, when he was born there was no way that could have been done through… so it would have been open heart again. I don’t think Carter will ever have a life without surgery to a certain extent, though throughout his life we have turned his condition into a positive by raising awareness and funds to demonstrate that any condition will not define him.”

In doing so, the Aplin family will join the rest of the country in the annual HeartKids Two Feet & A Heartbeat charity walk on Sunday 18 October 20201 to help raise funds for kids affected by the life-long condition. 

“When Carter was born, we had no idea about HeartKids, but since, they’ve been fantastic,” said Mardi. “Not only for us as parents, having a support group, but I’d say 90% of them are Heart Mums that are working there, so they have all had similar experiences and understand some of the challenges that Heart families go through. It means so much to know that there are people there, ready to support you.”

“I think the best thing that Carter himself has received from HeartKids was going to a HeartKids Teen Camp.”

Carter agreed, “There were probably 100 kids from all over Australia and were different activities for everyone to do. It was really good because everyone there had a heart condition and I felt like I was ‘normal’ I guess, and everyone felt the same.”

“I’m proud of myself I’ve definitely come a long way. With all of the operations I’ve had I’ve been able to do a lot more than I usually would. I think I’ve had a pretty successful life; I’ve done a lot of things that challenge me, and I’ve gotten better at a lot of things, it hasn’t really stopped me from doing anything.”

Mardi added “He’s due to have another open heart to fix his aortic valve in 12 months, depending on how things go, and then it will be ongoing check-ups and as time progresses, as he grows they may need to be replaced.”

“The bottom line for us is there’s a lot of children that don’t make it from being born with a congenital heart disease, there’s a lot of ‘Heart Angels’ out there. Carters condition is quite a rare and complex one, we are one of the lucky ones that we can wake up every day with our son, no matter how many operations he has, he’s here with us. Everyday I’m happy that he’s well and he’s healthy and he can achieve potentially achieve things that other kids haven’t been able to or had the opportunity to do.

“If there is anyone out there that needs to reach out, going through a similar experience, I’m more than happy to support them. I think that’s great for Carter at his age now, Heart kids can see him, they can see there is hope, when they are going through really dark times in their life, they know there are kids like Carter out there, and its really nice for us to see people who have been through the same journey, now in their 30s or 40s.

“If we can do that, or be that for another family. That’s very special.”




Two Feet & A Heartbeat will take place virtually across NSW allowing participants to walk in their local neighbourhood. The goal is to have 4,000 people nationally walking together in support of Australian kids and families like the Aplin family. The event also pays tribute to those who have lost their lives to congenital heart disease, affectionately known as Heart Angels.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, HeartKids is embracing virtual technology to allow everyone from anywhere to participate. For the first-time participants can show their support by either walking in their local neighbourhood and participating in on-line pre and post walk activities or attending a local event in person while practising physical distancing. 

Two Feet & A Heartbeat features two fitness levels with participants given the option to either walk 4km in honour of the four lives lost each week to congenital or acquired heart disease, or to challenge themselves with an 8km walk in recognition of the eight babies who are born with the disease each day.

All funds raised by Two Feet & A Heartbeat will help to support the expansion of HeartKids family support programs across Australia. According to HeartKids’ Holly Williams, the programs provide essential support services for thousands of families nationwide and are even more critical during times of COVID-19. 

For more information about Two Feet & A Heartbeat, including how the virtual option works and event locations, ways to volunteer or donate visit: www.heartkids.org.au/twofeet