Claire Cathcart

I’m running 100km in February for GOSH Charity and my gorgeous Jake!

I'm doing it again ! I'm running 100km in Feb for GOSH!

I took part in this challenge last year and really enjoyed it, so I figured I'd give it another go, and it can help kick start my half marathon training at the same time!

Jake is now 10 years old and has been a GOSH patient since he was 7 months old. He had lifesaving surgery the week before and the day after his first birthday (and had a cardiac arrest in-between)

in 2020 during the covid pandemic , Jake became seriously unwell and he was helicoptered to GOSH once again, where he was intubated and given the dubious honour of being the sickest child in CICU. I don't know how the Flamingo staff kept him alive in those early days, but they did and i'm forever grateful to them

Jake had BIVAD (Berlin heart surgery) in November 2020 during an 8 hour operation and was placed on the urgent transplant list . Following this surgery , Jake suffered every complication possible, many times, including: blood clots, blood loss, collapsed lungs , chyle , V-FIB, VT, and even an allergic reaction to one of his many blood transfusions.

Jake was just about getting stable in early 2021 when the call for his very precious heart came. We are so grateful to his donor family for choosing to help him in their darkest hours.

Jake's operation was performed by our real life hero surgeon, and his recovery was textbook, we came home 3 weeks later !

Today, approaching 5 years post transplant Jake is a happy , healthy , funny boy who is working hard at making up for lost time. he's just the best and i'm so thankful to GOSH for everything they have done for us !

I’m running 100km in February for GOSH Charity and my gorgeous Jake!

I’m challenging myself to run 100km this February to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity).

Again!

On this Day 5 years ago, at the height of the Covid Pendemic - I was in Flamingo Ward (Cardiac ICU) with my super brave boy who was critically ill. His heart has stopped working and his cardiac output was being provided by Hiro, a BIVAD machine (Or Berlin Heart) . His only hope of leaving hospital alive was a heart transplant , thanks to a very brave family who made a very selfless decision shortly after Christmas.

Jake was " the sickest child in CICU" when he arrived, and things were were fragile, no one expected him to survive the day he was intubated, but with his determination and the best children's hospital in the world , he did. His Berlin heart surgery was over 8 hours long and came with multiple, life threatening complications , such as blood clots, blood loss, fluid overload and collpased lungs. I honestly do not know how the team turned things around because he was so very poory, but they did.

Almost 5 years on from getting the call for his very precious new heart, Jake is full of energy and making great progress , he's a happy boy with brilliant sense of humour and I thank his donor family and the team at GOSH for every extra second I have with him.

And that's where you come in! Thank you will never be enough, and i think i'll struggle to even cover a fraction of what we have cost the hospital , but i'll give it a go !

if you'd like to sponsor me, i'd really appreciate it :)

thanks! xx

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