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
