According to Professor Steve Bolsin: "Children are sacrificed on altars of surgical pride and units' desire to stay open."

Prof Bolsin's actions 20 years ago cost him job, and resulted in colleagues being struck off.

He was told he was "the most hated cardiac anaesthetist in Europe" and had to move his family to Australia in order to find work.

It seems to me that a combination of self-interest and political interference is threatening to derail the entire process.

Back in July, the outcome of the Safe & Sustainable review was announced, with paediatric heart operations set to continue at seven hospitals, including Newcastle, and cease at Leeds, Leicester and the Royal Brompton in London.

I won't criticise them for fighting their corner, but my own view is that it's time we all moved on and looked to the future.

Children's heart surgery will continue at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital, meaning the end of such operations at Leeds Royal Infirmary.

My first thoughts are with the Leeds parents. There will be people in turmoil at today's outcome, and who can blame them?

But the biggest challenge of all lies ahead of Ivan Hollingsworth this Easter weekend.

While most of us relax with the family and start cracking open the chocolate eggs, Ivan will be pushing himself to the limit as he attempts to run 100 miles in 24 hours.

The world of football appears determined to improve players' health checks in the wake of Fabrice Muamba's cardiac arrest at the weekend.

The sight of an athlete in peak condition slumping suddenly to the ground, then being surrounded by a swarm of paramedics desperately attempting to save his life, has caused widespread shock and bewilderment.

Fit young men don't just collapse like that for no apparent reason, do they?

Sadly, the answer is yes.

Two-year-old Kiera, daughter of Graham and Andrea, twin sister to Zahra, and already a veteran of three major heart operations, was about to go under the knife for a fourth time.

The plan was to carry out a full repair of the heart defect she had been born with.

A couple of senior citizens up ahead rouse his competitive spirit.

But he pushes himself just too far and suffers a painful groin strain in his efforts to overtake them.

It's hardly surprising - those mobility scooters are deceptively quick you know.

The public consultation phase of the review of children's heart surgery has now ended, and no doubt more than a few people breathed a sigh of relief as the deadline passed on Friday.

With heart units effectively competing against one another, it has become something of a battleground, and those deciding the way ahead must do so against a backdrop of unrest and fearful uncertainty.

But the time for talking, typing and texting is almost up.

In just under a week's time, it will be over to the decision-makers to determine the way ahead for children's heart surgery.

The hefty total was raised at a star-studded charity golf day held at Close House Hotel in Northumberland, owned by Graham Wylie, dad to 17-month-old heart patient Kiera.

A-list celebrities and sports stars descended on the venue - quite literally in the case of world No 1 golfer Lee Westwood, who was helicoptered in to play a round with his hero Alan Shearer.

Here in the North East, tens of thousands stand firmly behind the Freeman Hospital and its world-renowned Children's Heart Unit.

A hundred miles down the road, supporters of Leeds Royal Infirmary are massing in equal numbers.

As is the battle on behalf of other threatened centres around the country.

With the number of hospitals offering heart surgery for children set to be cut from 11 to six or seven, it's down to a straight choice between Newcastle and Leeds.

The Newcastle-based Seb4Chuf team did exactly that at the height of last summer, their stand-out achievement in a spectacular first year of fundraising.

But forget about them lighting up the cigars and revelling in their success - all eyes are fixed firmly on the future as they push on with ambitious plans for an even bigger 2011.

We got chatting, as parents do, and soon discovered we had something in common.

We were both dads of twins who had seen our children undergo heart surgery shortly after they were born.