Open your hearts...

Hello, on 7th September myself, my sister Zoe and my friend Ann are all running the Womens Adidas 5K Challenge.

We are running on behalf of ECHO, a charity that supports children with heart conditions and their families. ECHO's website can be found at  www.echo-evelina.org.uk

One of my twin boys, Matthew, was born with a complex heart condition. His arteries were the wrong way round, his aorta was too narrow and he had several holes in the heart. In addition, the heart was on the right rather than the left side which made correctly diagnosing and performing surgery even more complicated.  He was also 7 weeks premature and underweight.

The outlook wasn't good and we were told he would have to have surgery to stand any chance of survival. At 10 days old he underwent  a major 9 hour open-heart operation. Amazingly the surgeon was able to correct all the problems. After 11 weeks recovery in hospital we finally brought him home.

Matthew is now a happy, healthy, energetic toddler. He should need no further procedures, apart from check-ups and has no idea what a miracle he is.

ECHO did a brilliant job of supporting us during this stressful time.

None of us are runners but we thought if Matthew can make it through then so can we. Why Giraffes? Well giraffes were a bit of a theme for Matthew during his stay in hospital and, like us, giraffes can't run very fast!

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us: ECHO gets your money faster and, if you’re a taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 28% is added to your donation.

Please give generously and sponsor us and enable ECHO to support other families. Many children need ongoing surgery and treatment and some unfortunately don't make it.

Many thanks,
Julie, Zoe and Ann xxx