FATHER'S Day has always been poignant for brothers Callum and Liam Sergent but this year they decided to show their gratitude to the hospital that saved their

dad’s life.    

Last week the brothers returned to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (LHCH) with a generous donation of £300.

Back in summer 2000, the same week his wife found out she was pregnant with her first son Callum, Aidan Sergent was discovered he had a rare tumour in his chest.

Several months later and just one week after Callum was born, Aidan was admitted to the region's specialist heart and chest centre to undergo a procedure to remove a golf ball sized tumour from one of his ribs.

Callum, aged 15 and from Prescot, said: “It was a really tough time for my parents. Whilst my mum, Paula, was recovering from a difficult labour and emergency caesarean, dad was recovering from his surgery and hoping that the cancer hadn’t spread to his other organs.

 “When he returned to see his consultant surgeon, Mr Richard Page, dad was so pleased to hear the good news that the tumour, a rare form of bone cancer called chondrosarcoma, had been removed completely and that it had been slow in developing and had not spread any further.”

 Callum said the family had always felt a debt of gratitude to Mr Page and the wonderful team of staff who cared for their dad. 

He added: “Over all these years we’ve never forgotten what the hospital did and wanted to find a little way of saying thank you.

“My younger brother and I decided to use the reception area of mum and dad’s chartered accountancy office in Prescot to sell our old toys and we were delighted to raise £300 for the LHCH Charity.

 “If our small contribution can go towards helping someone else’s dad, then that would be great.”

 As well as saving his dad’s life, Callum said that other relatives had also received fabulous care and treatment at the hospital, including his 80-year-old grandad, Bill.

“Grandad was 80 years’ old when he had his quadruple heart bypass. To be given another five good years of life to spend with family and friends and to carry on playing golf meant a lot to us all.”