My whole life I've been told that my mum had a 'poorly heart', but it wasn't until 2016, where mum reached a point where she had to have her second aortic valve replacement surgery, where what that really meant became a reality. Harefield Hosptial was absolutely incredible with my mum and my family and we are so unbelievably thankful for everything everyone at the hospital did for her.

My mum and my friend Meg had the same scar down their chests and had similar 'poorly hearts'. Meg also received incredible treatment from The Royal Brompton throughout her life and she was so incredibly thankful for the life that her surgeries enabled her to live. In a bid to be 'more like meg', I'm running a half marathon as a way to raise money to give back to these amazing hospitals who have done so much for the people that I love. Ami Spalding