I am running the Greater Manchester 10k in memory of my daughter Cindy who died in February 2013 aged 10 months. She was on the paediatric intensive care unit waiting for a heart transplant at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

After we lost Cindy, we set up a fund in Cindy's name with the Children's Heart Federation.  Money donated to Cindy's fund is earmarked to their Family Grant Support scheme. 

After having to re-locate to Newcastle with a moment's notice and facing the possibility of spending most of the year there, we imagined what it might be like for families in our position who are not able to rent a house (like we were), that had employers that we not flexible (like ours were) and had school age children (Cleo was just two and a half at the time) and had mortgages/rent and bills to pay back home.  We met other families in Newcastle also with a child in intensive care waiting for a heart transplant all living in one room in shared flats, not ideal whilst dealing with off-the-scale stress. And for example, we met a family from Inverness, 6 hours drive from Newcastle.

We felt that supporting these families during these immensely stressful times was where we wanted Cindy's fund to go.

The Family Support Grants help families with children who have heart conditions.  They give financial assistance to help families cope with financial difficulties they face when caring for a child with a heart condition. They:

- help with accommodation or travel costs while a child with a heart condition is in hospital

- help with meeting costs for a specific items or appliances that will ease the difficulties of caring for a child with a heart condition at home

Thank you for your donation in memory of my beautiful little girl. She fought so hard to stay and is the bravest person I've ever known and will ever know.