12 MONTHS - A PERSONAL JOURNEY

It’s been quite the year!

On 3 March 2023, I underwent open heart surgery to counter certain abnormalities found through the discovery of a congenital heart defect. I won’t lie, it was a shock when I found out what my issue was, but after a short time I acclimatised to the situation. I understood that I couldn’t live without surgery and that was in the best hands with Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital.

On 10 March I was discharged, but following complications I was rushed in for a second emergency operation on 16th. The following day I woke up in a hospital bed, once again in a great deal of pain. That day was my 46th birthday and it was a low point! I was, however, in the best possible place and in the best possible hands and was cared for really well. Sure enough I was discharged again a few days later and began my slow road to recovery.

Fast forward one year … St. Patrick’s Day - 17th March 2024 … and I will be running in the Liverpool Half Marathon. One year after a personal low point, I aim to achieve a personal high!

13 weeks after surgery I returned to work. I made the decision to run shortly after returning to work and finding out that the event was on my birthday. Also at that time I also began my road towards my first post-opp 5k. By October I managed to complete a 5k without walking.

In December I put out a rally cry at my works Annual Conference to see if anyone would fancy joining me. Within a week 8 fantastic work colleagues answered the call, set up a WhatsApp group and proceeded to motivate each other towards our joint goal.

It is because of what I have been through, the time I have spent at Liverpool Heart & Chest, experiencing firsthand the miraculous work they do and feeling the love and support from all parts of that amazing hospital that I have decided to raise money for the Liverpool Heart & Chest Charity.

If you would like to support them please follow the link to my JustGiving page. Any donations would be appreciated.

Thanks for readying my story.