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Ten years ago (31st July 2006)  Oscar was born with a congenital heart defect that meant he needed open heart surgery when he was just six days old.    This condition was called Transposition of the Great Arteries and on 6th August 2006; having already been transferred to a hospital 60 miles away from us, he was operated on by the wonderful Mr Richard Firmin at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.

Oscar lived in the hospital for the first month of his life and because of Heartlink Children's Charity and the vital fundraising work they do, his Daddy and I were able to live in the hospital to be near to him and build a bond with him.   Our room, the food we ate, the tea we drank... it was all funded by Heartlink.  More importantly, the equipment used to keep him warm, fed and alive was also funded by Heartlink. 

Without Heartlink we wouldn't have our beautiful and loving son ten years on and we wouldn't have the tremendous bond we have with him now that we were able to forge in those early days even though he was so poorly.

Oscar has regular heart check ups and has, thankfully, so far been well but as he is getting older and growing faster there is the chance he may need further intervention.  Soon he will require an MRI under a general anaesthetic to get a closer look at his arteries and once more he will be cared for using equipment that has been funded by Heartlink Children's Charity.

From first hand experience we've seen the difference that Heartlink makes to families.  From a comfortable room to sleep in, a hot drink, a shoulder to cry on from their team of parents who volunteer their time to support others... to the hot beds that poorly infants sleep in, the ECMO machines used to pump blood around the body whilst resting the lungs and heart... to the little things that make a difference to a child with a zipper scar on his/her chest - the Annual Teddy Bear's Tea Party, presents at Christmas and the caravans that are fully accessible and affordable to families who otherwise might not get a break away from the torment of worry.

Without sponsorship and donated funds Heartlink wouldn't be able to do what it does. 

From us.  From Oscar.  From all the other parents and kids who have been touched by Heartlink in the past and will continue to be touched by them in the future... please, please sponsor us.

We are going to be; as a team (and most likely at the pace of our slowest - that's my excuse anyway!), dashing (used loosely) 4.5km before finishing our 5km over 0.5km of inflatable obstacles.

Our ages range from 7 years to 42 years and our fitness levels range from... well, lets just stick at from!

It is the tenth year since Oscar underwent the surgery that means he is still with us today and want to celebrate this amazing achievement by donating as much money as we possibly can to Heartlink.  So, please... dig as deep as you can and sponsor us for what isn't going to be as easy as it sounds!

Thank you xxx

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