Two British Army soldiers are taking on a strenuous challenge of completing 5km in Burpee Broadjumps for a charity that is very close to their hearts.

Amy and Rachel decided to take on this challenge of ‘Burpees for Bertie’ after finding out their friend had given birth to her little boy with congenital heart disease.

On 27 Feb 24, Gabrielle and Tyler welcomed their little boy Bertie in to the world.

A perfectly healthy pregnancy and natural labour, they were released from Gloucester Royal Hospital with the all clear just 7 hours after Berties arrival.

On 4 Mar 24 when Bertie was just 6 days old, Tyler and Gabrielle took Bertie to hospital concerned over a tiny blister on his lip (which turned out to be nothing) but it was at this time that the doctors noticed Berties breathing was heavier than it should be and the doctor picked up a heart murmur. In the depths of being new parents and already sleep deprived, they were advised they would have to stay overnight until the paediatric cardiologist could do a scan on Bertie’s heart the following morning.

They remained fairly optimistic as heart murmurs can be quite common, however, the scan revealed their worst nightmare. Bertie was diagnosed with a large VSD and an ASD. The VSD means that there is a large hole in Berties heart which means too much fluid goes to little Berties lungs, left undetected/untreated would mean his lungs would become spongey and eventually lead to heart/lung failure. Bertie struggles to drink and breathe, the normal things we take for granted each day.

They were told that little Bertie would require open heart surgery at Bristol Childrens hospital before he is 6 months old.

Bertie is now 9 weeks old and is fighting so well, he has been in and out of hospital but is beginning to showsigns of needing his surgery relatively soon.

The journey has been tough on them as a family with Bertie requiring tube feeding, regular medications, increased monitoring and also the dark cloud of the upcoming open heart surgery hanging over them.

Gabrielle reached out to local charity Heart Heroes and they as a family attended their first session with them when Bertie was just 3 weeks old. They never thought they would ever need a charity but heart heroes have been amazing with providing support and other parents to chat to that have been through the same or even worse situations. Heart Heroes will continue to support Bertie throughout his life and enable him to connect with other heart warriors as he grows up. It really is an amazing charity and this is why we would like to give a little something back.

For anyone who would like to follow Bertie’s journey, feel free to follow his IG page: Bertie_and_us ❤️

Heart Heroes (HH) is committed to supporting children and families in the UK and Wales affected by life-limiting or life-threatening heart conditions. We focus on critically vulnerable children and their families providing a range of specialised activities and events that foster peer support, inclusivity, and emotional well being.

Heart Heroes provide specialised equipment, facilitate transport to essential appointments, and organise well-being activities during lengthy hospital stays or isolation.