In April 2024, I will be running the Brighton Marathon to raise money for St. George's Hospital Charity.

Without the help of St. George's, I probably wouldn't be able to run for a bus, let alone consider 26.2 miles!

When I was 17, I was diagnosed with an Atrial Septal Defect (fancy name for hole in the heart) which was causing me issues with breathing. Just after my 18th birthday, I had open heart surgery at St George's to resolve the issue. Since then, I've taken part in four 10k runs, each time beating my PB, and I'm excited to take the (slightly crazy) next step of taking part in a marathon!

The support, care and kindness I received from the cardiac team while going through quite a terrifying time was second to none.

Further to that, my mum has worked at St George's for over 20 years, for much of it, in cardiac rehabilitation. She has supported SO many people to understand the importance of, and improve their heart health. My mum truly is the strongest person I know and I'd love to be able to give back and say thank you to her and all the incredible people that work at St. George’s.

If you can spare anything at all, please do :)