A COUPLE are to tackle the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon in honour of their toddler daughter and the medics who have saved her from the brink of death three times.
Tess Kelly was just one week old when she was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, which was causing her aortic valves to narrow and thicken.
She underwent her first round of open heart surgery only eight weeks later after tests revealed rapid deterioration in her condition and has since recovered from heart failure and a serious infection which saw her spend weeks in hospital.
Now the 21-month-old’s parents Claire and Grant are to run the 26.2 mile loch-side challenge to raise funds for the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity and thank the medical staff who cared for her.
The Motherwell couple, who also have a four-year-old son called George, have completed marathons individually before, but this will mark the first time they cross the finish line together.
Claire, 36, said: “Tess has been on the brink three times in her short life, and three times they have saved her. She is doing so well just now that you would look at her and think there’s nothing wrong with her — she’s just a wee minx.
“This hospital works miracles, there’s no other way to describe it. Without them, we would not have Tess and we simply wouldn’t be a family. This is a very sentimental journey that we want to complete together for Tess.”
The event takes place in September, and Grant, 37, said: “We have been amazed by the amount of support and donations that we have received. I think the fact that it’s a children’s charity really resonates with people.
“We’ve always enjoyed running, but it’s now taken on even more significance because of Tess. She will have physical limitations because of her condition so we need to set her an example to show how important it is to keep fit, stay healthy and keep the heart strong.”
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