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On Sunday 23 May 2010 I plan to run the Edinburgh Marathon. Running a marathon is an achievement, but it isn’t what you would call an extraordinary achievement, especially when you think about Eddie Izzard running 43 marathons in 51 days.
However, for me it is a massive achievement, and I’ll tell you why.
On the 13 August 1981 (17 days before my 9 birthday) I underwent major open heart surgery to repair a Transposition of the Great Arteries. Until I had that successful operation, it was not expected that I would live past the age of 15, maybe 17 if I was really lucky.
Transposition creates a situation where all of the body’s organs are deprived of the oxygen they need to function. If you are lucky (and I was) you also have a ventricular septal defect, which is a hole between the right and left pumping chambers of the heart. This hole kept me going long enough to be operated on.
The same year I had my operation the Scottish Branch of the Association for Children with Heart Disorders was formed. It is a support group run by families of cardiac children to raise funds for the paediatric units in Scotland which care for children with heart disorders and to give valuable support (emotionally and financially) to families.
When I approached them with my intention to run on their behalf they asked if any money I raised could go towards helping a family they are supporting who have a baby born with Hypoplastic Left heart Syndrome (HLHS) which is a rare congenital heart disorder where the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped.
Without life-prolonging interventions, HLHS is fatal, but with intervention, an infant may survive.Riley Jay McKinlay was born on Wednesday 24 February 2010 at 9.08am at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. His parents, Kerrie and Ryan McKinlay are from Burntisland, but travelled to London for Riley's birth following diagnosis of HLHS at his first ante natal scan to ensure the top specialists in this field were on hand to commence his treatment. Riley had his first operation the day after he was born. Treatment is going according to plan, but Riley and his family face a future of hospital appointments and life saving operations, going between their home in Burntisland, and the cardiac units at Yorkhill in Glasgow and St Thomas’ in London. Riley is their first baby.
So, here comes my big ask - please donate some money. Please don’t feel it needs to be a lot, because if everyone I ask gives a little it will soon mount up. Think of it this way, instead of that next coffee on the way to work, or your first drink at the weekend, give the money you would spend to help Riley. Your generosity will make getting round all 26 miles and 385 yards that bit easier.
Thank you.
Shona Crawford
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