On a recent call with mum she asked if I could help raise money for her heart charity, she asked is I would do a sponsored 10k, my response was ‘mum, no one will sponsor me for a 10k as most of my friends run 10k for fun!’. After coming off the phone to her I felt really bad (as she had asked me a few times previously), so I started to scratch my head on how I can help. 

After throwing a lot of ideas around, I have made the difficult and selfless decision to run the Brighton Marathon this September to help raise money for The Somerville Foundation. This is a wonderful charity that has helped my mum over the years with her heart and it has just lost the little funding it was receiving and now solely relies on donations from us. 

For those of you who know me, I am not a natural born runner and honestly hate running with the passion. Yes, I have always enjoyed sport but I have always opted for team sports that are fun over solo activities where stamina is key. This will certainly be a challenge for me and one that will probably break me, but it is not me who I am doing this for but for my mum and all her fellow heart friends, past and present 💜 so wish me luck 🍀

The story behind this challenge

My mum was born with a congenital heart defect and growing up was always told that she may not make it to adult years. Lucky for us medicine and medical technology has advanced so much over the years that more and more Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) patients are surviving longer. However, there is still a great focus on support for babies and children, that we are seeing young adults and older being left out and even forgotten about. 

This is where The Somerville Foundation comes in, they are the only UK charity dedicated to adults with ACHD. They help to provide young and older adults with the guidance and support to help combat isolation and vulnerability, whilst creating a world where they receive excellent medical care, leading to longer, happier and healthier lives. 

As a charity they were receiving a small funding pot but now all funding has been cut and they now solely depend on donations from us to survive. As they have helped my mum and many others over the years, I would like to help give back a little something as a show of our appreciation. 

So, I kindly ask you to help me by showing your support in donating as much or as little as you can to this wonderful charity. If you would like to show support on the day any cheer squad along the route would be most welcome 🎉🏃‍♀️ or if cheering is not for you then applications for a foot masseuse are open!! 🦶😂

Wish me luck 🍀

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