I was born with a congenital heart defect which was diagnosed when I was 14. This included a bicuspid aortic valve which meant that recently, at the age of 37, I had it surgically replaced at Southampton General Hospital.

Being young I would have previously been encouraged to have a metal valve which lasts much longer than tissue valve. These however, require you to be on Warfarin, a blood thinner, to protect you from blood clots forming on the valve and causing you to have a stroke. I am now a father of two young boys and look forward to having many adventures with them in the coming years. I was very nervous that being on Warfarin would stop me being the father I always wanted to be. I was also unsure if it would stop me continuing the hobbies that I love, mainly trail and mountain running, due to the dangers of falling and the increased risk of serious bleeding.

Fortunately whilst speaking to my surgeon I heard about a new valve designed by the company Edwards Lifesciences, which was still made from tissue but could be replaced when needed by inserting a new valve via the large blood vessel at the top of my leg, thus avoiding further surgery in the near future or being on Warfarin.

I underwent the valve replacement in 2023 and since then have made it my mission to throw myself into any challenge I find. Not only to make the most of the opportunity my surgeon and Edwards Lifesciences, have given me, but also to try and show younger people, who are born with congenital heart defects, that it doesn't always have to stop you leading an active and exciting life.

And if I can raise some money for Heart Valve Voice, a charity which supports patients like myself along the way, that would obviously be a great bonus.

I am currently training to run the Eiger panorama trail run by UTMB, which is a 53km run and includes 3000m of climbing whilst taking in some epic views of the Swiss Alps. A challenge that hopefully can show others that congenital heart conditions most certainly do not have to stop you leading the life you want to.