One of my lifelong dreams has been to run the London Marathon. I’m that child that sat infront of the TV every year crying at what a beautiful event it was and dreaming of the time I would be able to step up and do it. A dream that I sadly thought was very much over in May 2011 when my heart decided to stop 13 times one night and I was diagnosed with a heart condition. Life became full of operations, procedures, hospitals and missing out from that point on. Years on though and after a very long road the dream is back on the table and I will be running the London Marathon 2018 for the British Heart Foundation. Running has been vital to my recovery as not only has it helped to keep my heart strong, my body fit and my mind healthy it’s allowed me to feel alive. Every time I run and my heart pounds in my chest I’m reminded I’m still living!

The aim of my marathon is to raise £3720 for the British Heart Foundation to help fund research and support all those living daily with ‘broken hearts’. £3720 might sound like a weirdly specific amount but for me it represents £10 for every day that I have spent in hospital having intensive treatment, recovering from surgery and fighting for every heart beat since my journey began. If that isn’t enough to convince you to give I’ve also broken my race down to represent why I’ll be running….

Miles 1-8:
This will be the ‘easy’ start to my marathon but will be run for all of the students that I teach now and that I will teach in years to come who were born with ‘broken hearts’ and have been fighting for every heartbeat since they were born. This ‘easy’ part of my race is to help fund the research that will allow them to have less invasive procedures, be able to enjoy being kids and allow them to life long into adulthood so they can make all their dreams realities!

Miles 9–17:
This will be the part where I am going steady, the part where I’ve found my rhythm and training is kicking in, my body is working hard but it’s able to keep going. This part of the race will be dedicated to my friend Rob. Rob and I met of the cardiac wards in Manchester in December 2016. Both of us were fighting to get our conditions stable and both fairly annoyed to be stuck in hospital just before Christmas missing out on plenty of social events. There was plenty of banter between us and very slow walks to the coffee shop for late night coffees as we tried to break up the monotony of life on a cardiac ward! Both of us did just manage to get home for Christmas and Rob is still stable however he has been placed on the heart transplant list. His main aim now is to hold steady until his gift of life comes. This is not an easy process and waiting for ‘the call’ to tell you there is a new heart for you (particularly when you are in your 20’s and meant to be in the prime of your life) requires a high level of strength. Rob amazes me daily as he holds steady and fights for every heart beat whilst still enjoying life so this section will be dedicated to him!

Miles
18-23: This part of the race is going to hurt! This will be the first time of hitting 20+ miles as you don’t run that far in training and I’m told is where you hit the wall and wish your life away, wondering why you ever thought running a marathon was a good idea. This part of my race will be run in Memory of Jane. Jane and I met on the cardiac wards in Manchester in February 2015. We were both having a fairly rough time and Jane was recovering from a surgery I knew I would be undergoing in the future. We laughed, cried, and talked endlessly over the many hours we were stuck on the wards together over those few weeks and a friendship was formed. Following that we kept in contact and were able to encourage and support each other as we continued to fight for every heartbeat. Unfortunately Jane’s heart continued to not be able to support her and she underwent a heart transplant in Summer 2016 having spent a number of months inpatient in hospital waiting for one to be available. Jane fought hard with a courage and bravery that you can’t comprehend until you are literally fighting for your life. There was pain, disappointment and procedures inflicted on Jane over the years that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy yet she took them on, dug deep and got through with a high level of diginity. That’s why I will think of Jane as I hit this section if I can take an ounce of her strength and bravery I will be able to get through. Sadly Jane passed away in December 2016 having never made it home post transplant. I know her family were incredibly proud of her and miss her dearly but are determined to raise funds to continue research that will help save or prolong lives in the way it did Janes. I run this section to support them in their quest and to do something amazing for one of the most amazing women I ever met.

Miles 23 –
26.2: This section I run for Me, for Victoria, for Tash, for Ian, for Sonia,
for Katie, and for every other member of the broken heart club that’s fought through and back from treatment and now silently fights for every heart beat daily whilst living a ‘normal’ life. This is the section where I will cross that finish line and taste victory. This will be my screw you to my broken heart and the limitations it has tried to bring to my life. It’s where I’ll turn my cannot’s into can’s and remind the world that ‘Hope Wins’. It’s the section where I will celebrate life and be grateful for the research and treatment that has allowed me to be able to enjoy running and live life. Without this research and treatment my life may look very different, I’m 100% certain I wouldn’t be teaching full time and running a marathon. For me helping fund that research and treatment will be worth every drop of sweat, tear cried and pound raised on April the 22^nd as I run/walk/crawl my way round 26.2miles of London.

All that said and done if you weren’t convinced before I hope you’re convinced now, so dig deep and consider sponsoring me as I take on this ridiculous challenge. If I can get 372 of you to sponsor just £10 to cover one of those days my life was put on hold and I sat getting treatment in hospital then we can raise an incredible amount of money and help save lives!!