Hello there, thank you so much for stopping by to my London Marathon fundraiser to support the amazing work of the British Heart Foundation. This is a cause so close to my heart and although I dread running, to raise money for them in this way is something I have hoped to do for a long time. Sadly I lost both my Mum and Dad (pictured above) to heart disease. I firmly believe that they would have benefitted from the exciting new advances in treatment, in another time, another place. This is in honour of them. 

My father Patrick, a handsome, dedicated family man from Cork, was only 54 when he died, a week before my 13th birthday. It was well before the advent of life-saving bi-pass surgery and stents had become commonplace.  I remember the anxiety as a kid of emergency doctor's visits in the middle of the night and the extended separation of convalescence. His hospital treatments after each coronary consisted of being hooked up to a heart monitor, taking aspirin, rest in a convalescence home on the Isle of Wight and a bland diet of boiled fish. It was a life taken way too young and a lifetime without my Dad. If only.

Heart issues can present differently in women than men. My Mum, Patricia (she didn't like her first name Violet) was a lovely, kind Lancashire lady with a big-hearted zest for life. This zest perhaps masked some underlying heart issues before symptoms started to appear. There was damage to heart muscle from a previously undiagnosed heart attack. She had a triple bi-pass treatment performed by Professor Angelini's team at Bristol Royal Infirmary in 1999. After a period of convalescence she was flying again, back on the tennis court and making the most of.her new lease of life and energy. Sadly 2 years later the life-changing news of my brother's sudden death in a holiday accident was too much to bear for her repaired heart. I don't know if doctors believe in the physical symptoms of a broken heart, but I know it was the cause, I watched and cared helplessly as her heart started to fail. There was no other treatment available back then to heal it. If only.

Sadly across the world, heart disease still remains the biggest killer. There is amazing hope though.The British Heart Foundation is so incredibly close to starting clinical trials for new ground-breaking treatments that could save and enhance millions of lives. The 'heart healing patch' offers hope to millions suffering from the debilitating effects of damaged heart muscle and heart failure. Imagine the possibility of kick-starting a generation of new pathways around damaged heart muscle from a simple patch, almost the size of one that you use to repair a bicycle puncture! It sounds like science fiction but it could soon, with your kind support, become a reality. Any donation, no matter how small, can really help to start healing broken hearts.

The British Heart Foundation can only continue to keep funding life changing research with support from people like you. Every donation you make help funds scientific breakthroughs that can save and improve the lives of millions suffering from heart and circulatory diseases.The 2023 TCS London Marathon is set to be an event like any other. Thank you for being a part of this unforgettable journey with Team BHF.