After his daughter was born with CHD, heart dad Nick decided to take on the awesome challenge of walking 125 miles for the 1 in 125 born with a heart defect.
At first, he thought he’d be walking along – but in April he completed his challenge with an army of friends beside him. And they raised an incredible amount in the process…
Nick said:
“My youngest daughter Harper was born with a ventricular septal defect, that required open heart surgery at 6 months old.
“The stress for me and my partner when Harper was having surgery and also seeing her after surgery was unbearable. I cannot begin to think what it is like for the patients who are actually going through the surgery, and also other families.
“I can’t thank the Sheffield Children’s Hospital, the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit and Children’s Heart Surgery Fund enough. That’s why I decided to do this walk. 1 in 125 babies are born with a congenital heart defect, so I wanted to walk 125 miles from my home near Sheffield which roughly leads me to Watford.
“With me and my family being big Wednesday fans, we thought it would make sense to walk from our home in Mosborogh to Vicarage Road (Watford F.C’s home ground), arriving there on the Saturday when it was Watford Vs Sheffield Wednesday.
“I really enjoyed doing the walk to raise awareness and getting donations for this amazing charity! Tuesday and Wednesday’s walks weren’t great as it was just hills and walking on the A5. But my mates kept me going every day. They surprised me at the start of the walk, as I was going to do it on my own. They made sure I had a few friends with me each day. In the end, 21 lads came together to help me for this charity. I also had a few videos from Sheffield Wednesday legends to keep me going and a big donation from Sheffield Wednesday captain, Barry Bannan!
“Big thanks to all the lads who walked with me – and also Watford FC for giving me a box to watch the match with my family at the end of the finish line.”
CHSF Community Fundraiser, Lauren said:
“Nick got in touch in February to share his idea for his sponsored walk. With big dreams and his sights set, he went away and finalised everything. The Fundraising Team are on-hand to help and support with all of our fundraisers, but Nick didn’t need it! We’ve been absolutely blown away by how much he has raised. A huge thank you to Nick, and his friends for raising a phenomenal £5,872 for our heart unit, patients and families.”
Feeling inspired? Why not set yourself a challenge and raise some valuable funds for a charity close to your heart?
Register to fundraise here or email lauren.procter@chsf.org.uk for more info!
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