Fundraising parents hit £100,000 mark in memory of daughter Lahna

A NEW FOREST couple who lost their baby daughter to heart failure have raised £100,000 in her memory.

Natasha and Lance Beatty, from Cadnam, wanted to secure a lasting legacy for their five-month-old child Lahna who died suddenly following a viral condition about 10 years ago.

They launched the Lahna Appeal and through their efforts have now hit the six-figure mark for money collected for the Southampton Hospital Charity.

Natasha said: “Lahna would have been 10 years old now and we’re so excited that this year we’ve raised £100,000 in her memory.

“We are extremely proud of everything we’ve accomplished as a family, and want to thank our friends and the community for their continued support. We could not have done it without you.”

The Lahna Appeal cash has gone to fund pioneering and routine equipment for Southampton Children’s Hospital, which is based at the city’s general.

It means the hospital now has one of only two paediatric heart probes in the country, plus an underwater heart monitor.

The couple also part-funded two portable ultrasound heart scanners, otoscopes to examine the ears of children in the emergency department, birthing and postnatal monitoring equipment, and a device to perform vital eye and brain tests on young patients at the bedside – and much more.

Beth Hall, head of public fundraising at Southampton Hospital Charity, said: “We want to thank both Natasha and Lance for all of their hard work, plus the dedication of their friends and family who have rallied around them during this difficult time.

“You have helped to make our hospital world-class in the care provided to our patients – thank you.”