A FAMILY in Ipswich is today reaching out to support people with heart problems in memory of tragic baby Jazlyn Beall.

A FAMILY in Ipswich is today reaching out to support people with heart problems in memory of tragic baby Jazlyn Beall.

The tot passed away when she was just 14 months old after suffering from a serious heart condition.

Her mother Bridie Crowley, of King's Way, said her heartache is as strong today as the moment she died in August last year and her two young boys are receiving professional help to deal with the emotional turmoil.

But the family have today mustered the emotional strength to organise a charity cycle ride and walk to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

It has been arranged to mark Jazlyn's second birthday, which would have seen happy celebrations yesterday.

However, there still is a poignant reminder of her short life after her ashes were brought back to the family home.

Jazlyn was diagnosed with congenital heart disease when she was just less than a year old.

Miss Crowley, 25, said: “When Jazlyn was about ten months old, we noticed her fingernails were blue. Doctors diagnosed her with a heart condition. It was horrible.”

Jazlyn was taken for treatment at The Evelina Children's Hospital at Guy's and St Thomas' in London, where she underwent a procedure to insert a device into her heart.

Specialists said the operation went well, but two days later Jazlyn died on August 23 last year.

Her heartbroken mother and father, Jason Beall, 28, had her tiny body cremated and brought her ashes home to be with her two brothers, Cory, six, and Archie, five, and five-month-old sister, Shiane.

Miss Crowley said: “I wanted her to be with me. Her death is still affecting me really badly. It ripped my heart out. I feel the same as I did the day she died. It was a huge shock and my boys are still having counselling.”

Miss Crowley has now decided to raise awareness about heart conditions by organising today's sponsored bike and cycle with the help of her mother, Trina Crowley, 49, and her 12-year-old niece Lowyn Marsh.

One group will be walking from Iceland in Ipswich town centre to their home on King's Way, while other participants will be cycling to Felixstowe and back.

There will also be a disco tonight at the Rivers Social Club in Landseer Road starting at 7pm. Entry is �1.50 for adults and 50p for children.

If you would like to sponsor the event or donate to the British Heart Foundation, please call Miss Crowley on 07968 536146.

Have you lost a member of your family to a heart condition? Write to Your Letters, The Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

The condition is an abnormality of the heart that a person has had since birth. In some cases, the condition is diagnosed when the baby is still developing in the womb, but in most cases the problem is not discovered until after the baby is born.

There are many different types of congenital heart disease - the heart's vessels or valves may not be properly formed or there could be holes between the chambers of the heart.

It happens in around seven in every 1,000 pregnancies. For more than half of these children, the condition is a minor problem, but sadly some do not survive despite treatment.

Treatment depends on the type and severity of the condition - some children won't need any treatment, while others may need medication or heart surgery.