My Story

Throughout my life I have had 12 cardiac surgeries, 10 of
which were open Heart operations, all undertaken at Southampton General Hospital.
This was an incredibly hard and scary time for me, but I was supported massively by Wessex Heartbeat. Not only do Wessex heartbeat provide support for patients, friends and families, over the years they have funded numerous projects such as building the ‘Ocean Ward’, which is a specially designed ward for paediatric cardiac patients and the ‘Young Adult Cardiac Unit (YACU)’, both
of which I have stayed on during my time in hospital.

They also provide a house called Heartbeat House which is
located directly opposite the hospital where families of cardiac patients can stay, free of charge, for as long as they need so that they can be close to their loved ones while they are going through these incredibly difficult procedures. When I was 17, I had 5 open heart surgeries in the space of two weeks and I can honestly say I don’t think I could have got through it without having my family there, which was made possible through the use of Heartbeat House.

My Challenge

It is 61.1 miles from my home in Weymouth to Heartbeat House, so
I am setting myself the challenge to walk the equivalent of walking there and back (a total of 122.2 miles) virtually throughout the month of February. 

Please donate what you can to help support this amazing charity and help to keep saving lives!