On Sunday 7th September, I'll be taking part in the annual Harefield Fun Run for the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity.

Everything raised from this event will go directly towards benefiting patients at Harefield Hospital. Harefield Hospital is a world leading specialist heart and lung hospital, and any donations will go towards fighting heart and lung disease.

Please help me support Harefield Hospitals vital work, and together we can make a real difference.

Here’s my story-

So here’s the thing…

I’ve started running. Yes you got that right. Me - the person who hated PE at school and as a result has been avoiding having to move too fast her whole life. So why the sudden change of heart? I’ll tell you.

You may know that my daughter Jemma had a heart transplant in 2011 age 13. She’s done amazingly well since then, enjoying a full and active life, but in the last year things have unraveled a bit. She’s been an in patient at Harefield Hospital near London, a specialist heart and lung transplant centre, since early March, returning home for a few weeks in June, but back again since then as doctors try to support her with acute kidney failure caused by years of impaired blood supply. And I’ve been here with her every day. We’re hopeful of getting home in the next few weeks, but Jemma will be on dialysis into the future as unfortunately there’s been no improvement in her kidney function.

Jemma has been utterly heroic throughout, never complaining, never saying “Why me?” or “It’s not fair”. But it’s been tough. I’ve lost count of the surgical procedures she’s endured, including stents fitted, heart valve repair and recently major abdominal surgery but she’s still making me laugh. And she never focuses on herself, asking me every day if I’m ok.

So that’s where it started - Jemma insisting I look after myself. I started using the “Couch to 5K” app 9 weeks ago, running around the hospital grounds mostly after dark (!) and I’m finishing the program this week. By chance, it’s the Harefield Hospital 5K fun run this weekend and I will be taking part, hoping to raise a few pounds for this incredible hospital. In daylight. In public!

Harefield is the nearest transplant centre to our home in Cornwall. It’s a pioneering hospital staffed by incredibly skilled people, constantly pushing forward the boundaries of what is possible. Countless transplants are performed here every year though apart from the regular helicopter landings you’d never guess, it’s done with such discretion. But we’ve seen the patients coming and going through the ward with a few weeks of recovery and then off home to get on with their lives. It’s incredible.

The run is one of many fundraising events which aim to support ground breaking research as well as extra facilities such as a beautiful “Healing Garden” to promote wellbeing and recovery which we’ve enjoyed using nearly every day and has made such a difference to us.

Fundraising for Harefield feels doubly important to me as our son Michael is also a heart transplant recipient cared for by the Harefield team. Please support me in my fundraising effort on behalf of Jemma and Michael. It may be just for fun, but I will be RUNNING!

Thank you.

Jemma and I hope to see you in Cornwall soon.