I am running the London Marathon 2024 to raise funds for Little Hearts Matter.

I will be honest, when I applied for the ballot I never actually thought I would get a place in the London Marathon 🤣. I have always thought running a marathon is not for me, a half maybe, but here I am training for the big one. I am very excited and grateful to have been given the opportunity to take on such a big challenge and I am going to give it my all! I have decided to try and raise funds for the Little Hearts Matter Charity that means a lot to my family and I. 

My beautiful niece Etta Minney was born on 22nd May 2022 with a complex congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This means that Etta has half a working heart. HLHS is a defect that affects 1 in 5000 babies.

Etta has had two open heart surgeries and has spent many months in hospital due to further complications. Etta will need a third open heart operation within the next 2/3 years or when her little body tells her that she needs it. This will be a palliative surgical procedure and will hopefully give Etta the best chance of living a fullfiling life with her half a heart. 

Etta is such a special little girl and I am so blessed to call her my niece. She is a strong, brave, little ray of sunshine. My sister Grace and her fiance Mitchell (Ettas Mum and Dad), have been incredible throughout Etta's journey. I can't imagine what they are both going through, but I do know that I am so proud of them. 

Little Hearts Matter is a charity that offers support to anyone affected by the devastating diagnosis of a single ventricle heart condition, children born with half a working heart. The charity supports families like Grace and Mitchell by hosting activity weekends where they can meet families going through the same as them. Grace said " these events and meet ups are invaluable because it is the families that are going through the same as us who truly understand the rollercoaster journey that we are on". Little Hearts Matter also helps with administrative paperwork and simply being on the other end of a phone when families are having a difficult day and just need someone to talk to. 

Little Hearts Matter charity also spreads awareness of hypoplastic left heart syndrome and teaches people the struggles that those living with it have, so that people are able to help and understand their limits.

I want to say thank you to LHM for being there for my sister, Mitchell and Etta and for continuing to support them throughout their journey. ❤️