Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I'm raising money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), and I'd be very grateful for your support!

Why am I doing this?...I am raising money for BHF because shortly after I was born, my Mum was found to have a heart condition at the age of 30, most likely congenital. Also, our wider family has significant heart disease dating back three generations. Both my maternal grandmother and grandfather had heart disease, and other family members have suffered with heart problems!

About Mum...Mum suffers from mitral valve prolapse and aortic valve stenosis, and on top those problems, now had atrial fibrillation (AF) as well. Throughout my life, mum has never kicked up a fuss or highlighted her condition. She has just tried to continue with life and its pressures like anyone else, despite her health hindering things that everyone else take for granted.

In October 2016, mum was admitted to the resuscitation unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Since then, she has had several further emergency admissions and been taken directly to the cardiac unit at the local hospital. On March 21st 2018, a few days before her 70th birthday, I had to phone 999 as she was in trouble with an acute episode. This experience will stay with me, and one, I am unlikely to forget for some time.

British Heart Foundation fund over £100 million of research each year into all heart and circulatory diseases and the things that cause them. They have helped halve the number of people dying from heart and circulatory disease in the UK, but sadly every day, hundreds of people lose their lives. 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.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.