A MINEHEAD mother whose little boy was saved from potentially harrowing heart disease is hoping to raise awareness on World Heart Day today (Friday) about the dangers of Kawasaki Disease.

Lisa Freegard was away in London for a weekend with her family earlier this year when youngest son Reuben (picured), aged two, became unwell.

He was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease (KD), a vascular illness usually affecting children under five, which is often misdiagnosed as it has symptoms common to other childhood illnesses.

Early diagnosis and treatment is key to a better outcome but, if left untreated, it can cause coronary artery damage, and is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children.

“We were very lucky to get Reuben in when we did and seen by someone who had seen it before,” said Lisa.

“It can lead to devastating lifelong heart complications or in some cases even death, yet there is still so little known about it.

Now Lisa is involved with the charity Societi, the UK Kawasaki Disease Foundation, and the support group (KSSG), and she said it was heartbreaking to hear what some families go through.

“Their stories make me want to shout about KD from the roof tops – perhaps if more people knew about it they would have been treated sooner, so I am working with Societi to raise awareness and also raise money,” she said.

“The more people who know about this, hopefully the more hearts we can save.”

Typical symptoms of the disease can include a fever lasting at least five days, body rash and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

Lisa has set up a page on Just Giving at justgiving.com/fundraising/lisa-freegard and all donations go to Societi to help raise awareness of Kawasaki Disease.