On my first Mobile Mary Poppins trip, during the first half of 2011, I stayed with 16 different families, and I met 33 wonderful children – all of them currently healthy, and all of them lucky enough to be born to parents who would be able to get them the medical assistance they needed if they ever got sick.

 

Now I want to help families who are not in this fortunate position.

 

£4000 would save the life of just one child. Please help me to raise that.

 

On April 15 I will be running the Paris Marathon to raise money for Chain of Hope, a charity I learnt about a few months ago when I reconnected – quite by chance – with my very first childhood friend. Lisa Yacoub, who runs the London branch of the charity, and I met when we were 4 years old. I remember being in awe of her famous father, the heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, when I heard that he had discovered a way of saving the lives of babies born with heart defects; babies who otherwise would have died. And now, many years later, I have friends who only have their precious children with them today because of the life-saving heart surgery that was performed on them as babies. I cannot imagine a world without those adorable children in it.

 

This is a personal mission for me. I want to do it for the Yacoubs, for the children I know whose lives were saved by heart surgery, for the children I don’t know whose lives are at risk, and in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, who loved Chain of Hope and often – usually without announcement – gave her personal time to sit with the children and read to them as they recovered from operations. (Please see the side bar on the left for more information about Chain of Hope.)

 

Before this year, I had never considered running a mile, let alone a marathon. There is no greater challenge I could have taken on. But I am motivated and determined to complete this race.

 

With all of my healthy heart, I thank you for giving generously to this cause and helping me raise enough money to save the life of one child.

 

With thanks,

Susie 

 

A note about “Just Giving” in case you are not familiar:

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.