Having welcomed our beautiful twin boys to the world a year ago I thought it was about time I got fit and challenged myself. To get my fitness back, keep some sanity during lockdown and more importantly to raise money for a local charity I have decided to run a half Marathon in April.

I am raising funds for ‘Hearts and Souls’, a charity that helped my close friend, Gina, after she was tragically diagnosed with Heart Failure shortly after having her second child. You can read a bit about what happened to Gina below:

“Having my daughter was incredible, but - as a mother a feared I wouldn’t, even couldn’t, love her as much as I loved my first born, Alfie. Turns out this was the least of my worries. After 6 weeks of telling every health care professional I could that I did not feel well, I was breathless and exhausted, and being told that ‘I had just given birth; you need to rest’ I was rushed to hospital one Sunday night. After many scans and tests, they found that my lungs were filled with fluid because my heart was not able to pump the blood around my body effectively. I was diagnosed with heart failure. At the age of 31, with a new-born baby and a toddler I was left unable to care for them or myself. I found it difficult to come to terms with my diagnoses and poor prognoses of heart failure (1 in 5 mortality rates in the first year of diagnosis). It was earth-shattering. I remember looking at my two babies and thinking how much longer do I have with them? Slowly, with trepidation and tremendous support from my husband, friends, and family I was given time to heal and recuperate and when I felt confident enough, started the cardiac rehabilitation programme in Stoke Mandeville, Aylesbury. The cardiac rehabilitation programme was real turning point for me. Being surrounded by other people who had also experienced a cardiac event was strangely comforting. Being able to safely begin exercising with trained professionals in the room was crucial to mending myself, both physically and mentally. I was dumbfounded when I heard that the programme was not paid for by the NHS!”

Hearts and Souls are a charity that is dedicated to raising funds to pay for the crucial cardiac rehabilitation programme in the Buckinghamshire area. Thousands of people benefit from this programme every year, but it requires £20,000 per annum to run.