On November 28th 2002 my (2nd) cousin Jessica's daughter Isabel was born with Congenital Heart Disease. Struggling for life, she was rushed by ambulance from hospital in Brighton to Guy's Hospital in London, where she was diagnosed and then underwent open heart surgery at 4 days old. During little Isabel's parents stay at Guy's, in one of the most awful times imaginable for them, they met members from ECHO, who were able to tell me of their own experience under similar circumstances and help them immensely through that terrible experience. They have since received a huge amount of support and made many friends through ECHO. Having witnessed the difference that ECHO makes to the lives of the families who pass through the Evelina Children's Hospital within Guy's, and the support the charity continues to provide to many children with heart conditions as they grow up, Jessica is very proud to now work for ECHO herself and be a part of the invaluable support they offer.

Jessica, along with her sister Nikki (all the way from Spain) and her mum Liz (slightly older than me even!)plus sonny boy Phil and myself will all be together for a sort of a family reunion whilst attempting to compete(slightly over the top when you consider I am No 49067 out of 50,000 runners!) in the Great North Run on 30th September, in order to raise money for ECHO.Thank you so much to them and thank you to you for sponsoring me!.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me. ECHO will receive your money faster and, if you are a tax payer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your donation at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support.

Love Derek aka Frank

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor me online.

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UPDATE:Thanks everyone for backing me with such generous support with offline donations I am well over my target. The event went well and power walking it I came in in 2 hrs 50 . I will be writng again in a few days. Thanks again