Hugo, 8, was born with a heart defect – pearls to achieve his dream

Hugo Eliasson, 8, from Hedared beads bracelets in the hope of being able to fulfill his dream. He was born with a serious heart defect and now he longs for one thing.
– I make them to earn money for heart children’s camps in the USA, says Hugo Eliasson.

Hugo Eliasson was born with a so-called single-chamber heart. This means that the heart has only one chamber, instead of two, and that oxygen-rich blood mixes with oxygen-poor blood in the single chamber before it leaves the body.

The disease has led to Hugo having to spend many hours in hospital over the years, and it affects the whole family.

– When Hugo was born, we were in hospital for a year and a half. We had to give older sister away to relatives. The first time I got to see Hugo, he was on a respirator, says mother Caroline Karlsson.

Hugo has been operated on many times.

– They had to saw open the chest. He was lying with a small patch over his chest, so you could see the heart through the patch. There have been many trips back and forth. It has been very difficult, says Caroline Karlsson.

The dream of the camp in the USA

Hugo has turned 8 years old. He has a clear goal and a dream – he wants to go to a camp in the US for children who have the same disease, next summer.

– You paddle, play tennis and socialize with others, says Hugo.

That’s why Hugo beads bracelets, which he sells to save money. The hope is that the money will finance a trip to the camp. So far they have come half way. But that’s not the only reason the family pearls.

Today, close to 30,000 children live with heart defects in Sweden. Hugo and Caroline hope that the pearl bracelets will help to focus on the disease and give it more attention. They want to draw attention to the fact that heart diseases exist, and that you can live with them for the rest of your life.

– On each bracelet there is a heart. All hearts are different, but all hearts need to beat, says Caroline.