On 11th November 2017, I was minding my own business at home when totally out of the blue, as I went to make myself a cup of tea, I had a heart attack. Not a day goes by when I don't think how lucky I am to be alive.

While my life was saved by a combination of 111 telephone operator Julie Bart and the expertise and care of the paramedics and staff of the Hammersmith Hospital, I nearly didn't make it for the absolutely extraordinary reason that the two lifts in that wing of the hospital were not fit for purpose. 

One was completely out of order; and as a result, the second was permanently full. As I lay on a trolley going into meltdown, it would empty of visitors at the ground floor, go down to the lower ground, fill up with people, and come past us again on the ground floor, full. 

When I was subsequently discharged, I vowed to do something about it. IHT are now building a dedicated lift that goes directly up to the cardiac unit from the heart attack centre's ambulance entrance, and I am fund-raising to contribute to the funding of it. 

In order to do so, I am running the Athens Marathon on 11th November 2018 - exactly a year on from my heart attack. Don't expect any record-breaking times or anything: just getting over it in one piece is the aim!

Whatever support that you can give to building this lift would be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you!

PS If you want more details about what happened and why it can happen to anyone, I wrote about it here: http://www.markxdavies.com/?p=4531