On Sunday 5th October, I will be running the Cardiff Half Marathon (no idea how…. but I will!!). I have decided to set myself this challenge to give a little something back to a charity that I owe everything to.

On 23rd December 2022, after hearing the words “I’m really sorry, your baby has some major heart defects”, I felt like my whole world came crashing down around me and suddenly the future was a very uncertain place. After what felt like the longest week of our lives, we saw fetal cardiology who diagnosed our baby with “Tetralogy of Fallot”, a very serious, but treatable heart condition made up of 4 different heart defects. We were told our baby would need an open heart surgery at around 6 months old to correct the defects, which was heartbreaking to hear, but enabled us to start preparing ourselves for what to expect. The rest of my pregnancy was a very anxious time, during which I did lots of research on different heart conditions and how they can be treated and quite honestly, I had no idea any of this even existed before it was happening to us.

I am now aware of the many different types of heart problems, but also how incredible and advanced medicine is these days and the amazing things that can be done to treat lots of these conditions and give people living with heart disease longer and healthier lives.

Being a medical parent is one hell of a journey, (on a very bumpy rollercoaster may I add); we have many highs but also the reality is there are still many lows and living without knowing what the future looks like can be difficult, but we are learning to just take each day as it comes!

In true Marla style, her condition turned out not to be straight forward ToF as it has been anticipated, but a much more complex version of it. From being rushed into intensive care when she was a day old, to being blue lighted to Bristol in the middle of the night at 3 days old, to then having teams of doctors running in at all hours to give her oxygen when her body couldn’t, she ended up having her very first open heart surgery at just 19 days old and weighing a tiny 2.5kg. It was then we were told this would be “the first of many” surgeries for her. So far, she has had two open heart surgeries, a keyhole heart surgery and she is due a third open heart surgery now; we are literally waiting for the call any day! We know her heart condition will always be ongoing and she has a lot more to face in the future, but I am also hopeful that the breakthroughs in medicine will continue to benefit her as they have so far.

Ultimately, the anatomy of Marla’s heart meant she was not compatible with life, her fate was not to make it but thanks to this life saving surgery she has had and the medical equipment we have access to, she’s here and she’s the strongest, most resilient and amazing little girl I know.

BHF is the biggest independent funder of research into cardiovascular disease in the UK. They fund research into heart conditions, ranging from heart failure to irregular heart rhythm to congenital heart defects, and since its founding, BHF has contributed to significant advancements in heart health, including the development of pacemakers, portable defibrillators, and the discovery that statins can save lives.

I now know first hand the importance of this research and the funding behind it and that’s why I’d like to raise some money to give something back, but also to spread awareness for those that don’t know a lot about heart health like myself before Marla.

I would be so grateful for any small donation you might be able to make, or even just a share of this page to help spread awareness for healthier hearts! ❤️ Thank you x