February is Heart Month, the month dedicated to raising awareness of congenital heart disease and supporting the children and families living with it every day.

To mark Heart Month, I’ll be running, riding and rowing the distance from Evelina Children’s Hospital London - where our daughter Emelie was diagnosed with a life threatening heart condition - to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where she went on to receive her life-saving open heart surgery, and then back home (Kent).

This challenge is about more than miles. It’s about raising awareness and giving back to a charity that supported us through an incredibly challenging time in our family’s lives.

Emelie’s Story:

Emelie was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a rare and serious congenital heart defect that wasn’t picked up during pregnancy.

At just 10 days old, she went lifeless in my arms. Unbeknown to us at the time, this was her heart failing and we were blue-lighted to the Evelina where we discovered she only had half a heart. We were told she wasn’t eligible for surgery and that nothing could be done.

After fighting for options over the course of a week, Birmingham Children’s Hospital agreed to take the risk and Emelie was transported by ambulance. They performed the Norwood surgery, the first and most complex open heart surgery for HLHS when she was just 18 days old followed by another open heart surgery 6 months later, known as the Glenn.

Today, Emelie is 4 years old.

She is sassy, determined, funny and living proof of what expert care, research, and the right support can achieve.

Why I’m Fundraising:

I’m raising money for Young at Heart, a heart charity that offers help and support to families of babies and children diagnosed with heart defects. They provide a support line and regular ward visits for parents during their time in hospital with their sick child. Its aim is to bring the families together at social events, where they can meet with other families, share experiences and the children can make new friends.

Why Heart Month Matters:

Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect, and conditions like HLHS currently have no cure. Progress depends on awareness, funding and continued research.

By taking on this challenge during Heart Month, we hope to:

- raise awareness of congenital heart disease

- encourage conversations that lead to earlier detection

- raise vital funds to support children and families like ours

Every donation, share, or message of support helps - not just us, but the children currently in hospital and the families still navigating this journey that has a huge impact on every aspect of life.

Thank you for supporting this challenge, supporting Heart Month and helping us give something back to the hospital and charity that helped save our daughter’s life.