Thanks for visiting my page. I'm raising money for the British Heart Foundation and I'd be so grateful for your support x

Introduction

My name is Caroline McBrearty and I am a mum to two boys,
Charley, 8 years old and Jerry who is 7 years old and wife to Neil. I will be taking part in the London Marathon 2021 to raise vital funds for The British Heart Foundation following the recent diagnosis of our son Charley’s heart condition.

Our Story

Unexpectedly, in September 2020, our son, Charley, was diagnosed with Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease. This was unexpected and totally
out of the blue because Charley has always been such a fit, healthy and active child who was very rarely ill.  He loved to play football, swim, ride on his bike and play out with his friends.

We were referred to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle for
Charley to have further checks. It was there that we discovered Charley’s condition was a lot more serious than we first thought. His Arotic Valve was leaking severely, meaning that lots of blood that was pumped out of his heart was flowing back in. Therefore, not enough blood was getting pumped around his body, which would ultimately lead to Heart Failure. We were told he would need to have an operation to replace his Aortic Valve soon. Additionally, we were
told that he would need lifelong care under the Freeman Hospital as he’s likely to need another (or more) operations throughout his lifetime. We were heartbroken and in shock to say the least. This all stemmed for a doctor’s appointment to get Charley antibiotics for an ear infection in December 2019.

After a few cancellations, on the 10^th January 2021, Charley went to the Freeman Hospital and his operation went ahead on 11^th January. The operation took around 4.5 hours and thankfully it was a success.  The surgeon performed the Ozaki procedure. This involves making a new Aortic Valve out of the some of the Membrane surrounding Charley’s heart, the Pericardium.  

However, after the operation, it was not a straightforward road to recovery. There were a few issues and Charley remained in hospital for another 10 days.

Thankfully, we are now back home, and Charley seems to be recovering well. It will take six weeks for his chest
bone to heal. After that, Charley can make a slow return to the activities that he loves to do.

The British Heart Foundation

The BHF is the nation's heart charity, dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care and by providing vital information. It is my aim to raise awareness in order to raise lots of money to help them continue their essential work. We are truly thankful
to this charity and grateful for all of the work that they do and I feel  that it would be amazing to show our gratitude through raising money for them to help future families and people alike, like us, in the future.  Covid-19 has cut their future research ambitions in half
and we urgently need your help to continue our research against the world's biggest killers.

It's only thanks to support from people like us that the BHF can create new treatments and discover new cures. £24 could pay for two hours of research by an early career scientist, but every pound helps so please give what you can to help me hit my target. Thanks!

The Freeman Hopsital

We are so grateful and appreciative to the nurses and the surgeons on Ward 23 and the amazing nurses in the PICU at the Freeman Hospital. They made this very difficult time in our lives much more bearable. The staff and the treatment received were second to none! Excellent medical care, kind and genuinely caring staff. If you or your
family are lucky enough to be treated there, be assured that the finest care will be available to you.