Sunderland couple 'thrilled, honoured and humbled' by special charity recognition award from Prime Minister
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has honoured a Sunderland couple with a special award in recognition of their charity work.
Sergio and Emma Petrucci set up The Red Sky Foundation after their daughter Luna received life-saving treatment at the in 2015.
Luna, now eight, underwent open heart surgery at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital, just days before her second birthday, after cardiologists described her tiny heart as a ‘ticking time bomb’ having identified two complex heart conditions.
The couple now raise money for babies and children with heart problems across the North East.
Their efforts have now been recognised with a Point of Light award, granted by the Prime Minister to ‘outstanding individuals who are making a change in their community across the UK and the Commonwealth'.
Through their fundraising events, Emma and Sergio have raised close to £400,000, helping to fund two echo machines for Sunderland Royal Hospital and James Cook Hospital along with a specialist organ transplant machine which keeps a donor heart healthy for longer giving surgeons more time to perform a transplant.
Their Foundation has also funded defibrillators across the North East and helped to secure a specialist Fontan nursing post in the region, the first of its kind in the UK.
“It’s been extremely challenging over the last 12 months during the pandemic but we’ve still been able to raise enough money to make a huge difference to so many people,” said Sergio.
“We are thrilled, honoured and humbled to receive a Point of Light Award from the Prime Minister.
“The news took us both by surprise and with so many people supporting our Red Sky journey, we simply couldn’t help save so many lives without their encouragement and for that alone we just want to say thank you for helping us have such a positive impact across the region.”
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