On 17th May 2024, my son Jack was rushed to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham with difficulties eating and breathing. After a series of tests and an agonising wait, we were told on the 20th May that he had Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF). ToF is a rare congenital heart defect with four issues- a hole between the heart's ventricles, pulmonary stenosis, aortic distortion, and an enlargement of the heart muscle wall. On 30th July 2024, at just 7 months old, Jack had open heart surgery at the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre to repair the 12mm hole between his ventricles (for context, these holes are considered large when they are between 6-10mm). After three days in the cardiac PICU and another 3 days back on the main ward, we were able to come home and start rebuilding our lives as a family again.

Jack's care before, during, and after his surgical was outstanding, not least thanks to the efforts provided by Heartlink. Heartlink was founded over 40 years ago, not only to help support families like ours, but also enhance facilities at the Congenital Heart Centre and provide life-saving equipment. When we were there, they provided us with accommodation for part of our time there, contributed towards tearoom and playroom facilities, and gave Jack the most wonderful goodie bag to help keep his and everyone's spirits going. We particularly love his 'Walter' teddy bear, one of the charity's signature mascots. The Heartlink Journey web page provides even more details on some of the crucial things their donations help to fund.

On 6th April 2025, I'll be putting my early morning gym and running sessions to good use by running the inaugural Drayton Manor 10k. I'm raising money for Heartlink, so they can help support more families like ours through their own journeys. Any donation would be greatly appreciated, both for me and for my little heart warrior.