BHF Supporter Journey

I started fundraising for the British Heart Foundation with my family March 2015, but my story with BHF goes much further back than that.

 

I was born in 1978 with a congenital heart disorder called Tetralogy of Fallots, which is a condition with 4 separate defects of the heart.   The condition is commonly known as blue baby syndrome, as most of the children who suffer from it generally have bluish lips.

 

The doctors identified my condition very early & within the first 9 months of my life I had undergone 2 operations to help restore the flow of oxygenated from my heart to the rest of my body.

 

I underwent Open Heart Surgery when I was 3 years old to try to repair the Tetrallogy of Fallots, & although very ill after the operation, I was eventually allowed home to recover with my family.  

Since then I have had 3 Pulmonary Valve replacement operations.   I had a mechanical valve implanted when I was 9 years old, a pig’s valve when I was 19 after a long illness & I went through my most recent valve replacement at the age of 32.

 

I have seen the changes in the medical care, operative techniques & post-operative care during my life & know that these improvements were made possible thanks to the research carried out by the BHF.

 

In 2014, our family was hit with the devastating news that our brother George had died of a heart attack at his home at the age of 46.   He had no medical history of heart problems & lived a very full & active life.   The shock of his death brought to light the fact that a heart attack can strike at any time and in any age group.    

 

My brother’s death made me think more about what can be done to raise awareness & highlight the importance of the research & developments in coronary care.

 

Since my brother’s death we have been raising funds & awareness on behalf of the British Heart Foundation including a 5-a-side tournament with teams from across the central belt taking part.    We were able to combine our fundraising efforts with learning CPR skills (Thanks to Save a Life for Scotland); in doing this we helped add more people to nation of life savers the charity is trying to create.

 

No matter if I am raising funds or awareness, it’s important to me to work with the BHF to fight for every heart beat.

 

My story was printed in the Daily Record in 2016

 

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/my-scars-make-feel-happy-9122470

Tonys Gift

During a visit to my in-laws with their first grand-daughter in 2002 my Father in Law pulled me aside & handed me a bag.   I wasn't sure what was in the bag, but he said "I know you & your brother are daft about collecting these kind of things, so you can add these to the collection".

I opened the bag & found a collection of Football Books, Celtic Programmes & Wee Green Books dating from the early 60s through to the mid seventies.   My Father in Law Tony had passed to me a historical timeline of the greatest era in Celtic Football Clubs history.

When I got home I took great care & pleasure as I started to read through the "Managers Report" from James McGrory for the 1961-62 season.   The mixed emotions of the season that had just passed & the confidence he had in the future of the team especially with the crop of youngsters coming through.

A half-share of the Charity Cup was the only honour from the previous season.   Although appearances in 3 cup finals gave more hope than expectation that things were improving.

Congratulations were offered to Jock Stein on his first management role & the success of his Dunfermline team securing the Scottish Cup against Celtic in the April of 1961.   Farewells were offered to great names like Bertie Peacock after 12 years service at the club.

Reading through the books you can't help but feel Mr McGrorys attachment to the club & the hope that he can get the team back on track.

In Contrast the first "Manager Report" from John Stein in the 1965-66 Wee Green Book you are immediately met with an ambitious message of success, European Football & League championship quest, an amazing turnaround in attitude in the space of 12 months.

As the years pass the managers report becomes more glowing as the club excel across Scotland & Europe.   The 67-68 book starts simply with :

 

 "Five Competitions.................five Victories!

That's the simple statistical way of summing-up Celtics incredible season of 1966-67"

 

 



Watching the squad grow year on year as some of the greatest names to grace the Scottish game take their place.

 

Simpson

Craig                     McNeill                   Clark                  Gemmell       

 

Murdoch                              Auld

Johnstone                                                                     Lennox

Chalmers           Wallace

 

As the confidence of the club grows the ambition of the supporters grows too.   Adverts changed over the years from local bars & builders merchants to travel companies offering services to help fans on their trips across Europe.

 

These small changes in advertising perhaps show the bigger changes in the development of Celtic the club & their fans from the clubs original inception in 1888.   The transition of a Club set up to help put food on the table for less fortunate souls in the late 19th century to a club & fan base conquering Europe 80 years later.

 

My father in law Tony passed away after a short battle with Cancer a few months after handing me the collection of memorabilia.   I put them away in the loft for safe keeping & hadn't looked at them for some time.

 

I started looking through them again last year sharing stories with my young family of the matches from 40-50 years ago.   The pictures preserved in these books & newspaper cuttings not only capture the memories of  the greatest Celtic team, but they also allowed Tony to pass his passion for the club he loved on to his grandchildren & to be enjoyed for many more years to come.