Leamington mum will run marathon to raise funds for Birmingham Children's Hospital where her baby son's life was saved

Michelle Fincham, 31, has chosen Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week (February 8 to 14) to share her incredible story and hopes that her fundraising efforts will help other children with heart conditions in the future.

Having never run a marathon before, she is hoping she can undertake the task and raise £2,500 for the hospital in the process.

It was during a routine 20-week pregnancy scan that first-time mum-to-be Michelle and her husband Adam, learned that their unborn child, Charlie, had a serious heart condition.

Doctors broke the news that their son’s two main arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs and body were reversed – a condition known as Transposition of the Arteries - and if he was to have any chance of survival he would need major heart surgery at birth.

It was a lot to take in.

After many anxious months, little Charlie was born at Birmingham Women’s Hospital but owing to the seriousness of his condition he was whisked away before he could even meet his Mum.

After being stabilised in intensive care, he was blue lighted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where, at just a few hours old, he underwent his first heart procedure to create a temporary hole in the wall between the top two chambers of the heart to allow the blood to flow.

Michelle wasn’t able to meet her newborn son until the next day and as soon as she was discharged, she rushed to be with her husband and Charlie, who was now in Paediatric Intensive Care.

Michelle recalls those first few days: “They were the scariest days of our lives and I stayed day and night by his bedside.

Charlie looked so fragile having already undergone his first operation and now he was facing life-saving open heart surgery to reconfigure the main arteries to his heart.

It was especially challenging because he was born in the first lockdown and so only one parent was allowed to take him down to theatre. He was just four days old when I carried him into the operating theatre and we waited seven long, anxious hours while surgeons worked skillfully to save him.

When the surgeon finally called us to say it had gone well, we both burst into tears of relief and happiness.

“After a short while we were allowed to see him in intensive care and it was frightening to see his tiny body covered in wires and tubes. He did experience a few breathing issues to begin with but once he was stable, he became stronger and we were overjoyed to see him go on to make a fast recovery.

“After three weeks in hospital, Charlie was finally discharged and we were allowed to bring our little baby home! It was magical. It’s now ten months on and he’s thriving. He’s a cheeky Charlie who wears his scar with pride and now has a bright, healthy future ahead.”

Michelle added: “I can’t thank the team at Birmingham Children’s Hospital enough.

"They saved our little boy’s life and without their care he wouldn’t be here today.

"The doctors and nurses cared for him like he was their own son and helped us get though the most challenging time of our lives.

"I’ll be forever grateful and am going to make it my lifelong mission to raise as much money for the hospital as I can.”

According to children’s heart charity, Tiny Tickers, congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common congenital birth defect, impacting one in every 125 babies and the condition is also sadly responsible for up to 12 per cent of all infant deaths.

However, improvements in how soon CHD can be detected and treated are increasing thanks to advances in paediatric heart surgery, meaning that around 80 per cent of babies born with CHD can survive into adulthood.

Helping to raise funds that can be used to support Birmingham Children’s Hospital and their work with CHD has now become a passion of Michelle’s and the London Marathon will be her first fundraising task for them.

She plans to continue raising money for the hospital which helped to make such a difference to Charlie’s life. He is now 10 months old and fully recovered from his operation and enjoying a healthy and happy life.

If you have been inspired by Michelle’s story and would like to help other children like Charlie, you can support her fundraising efforts for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity through her Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/michelle-fincham-runs-the-marathon