Words: Brigid O’Connell
Photography: Jay Town

The playful nature and cheeky smiles of Abigail McDonald and Penny Jones hides the stories of two girls with broken hearts.

The little friends met while recovering in The Royal Children’s Hospital’s Koala Ward, where children stay after heart surgery.

Penny, 2, had a cardiac monitor implanted to detect abnormal heart rhythms that accompany Long QT syndrome.

Mum Kaydee Horne, who also has the condition, said because of their strong family history, doctors were keen to monitor Penny’s health early.

Meanwhile, her little buddy, four-year-old Abigail, was born with half a heart.

Click here to read the full story in the Herald Sun.

To donate to The Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal, go to goodfridayappeal.com.au or phone 9292 1166