A family effort in the race against heart disease

This past May, grandmother and grandson duo, Mary and Archie, took on MyMarathon together to have fun, get active and raise life-saving funds.

The race against heart disease is a cause close to both of their hearts – and in Archie’s, quite literally! At just two-and-a-half years old, he may not yet fully understand the tough battle he’s faced in his short life, but that didn’t stop him from getting involved.

Archie’s dad, Sam, says, “Archie was born with a condition called right aortic arch, which led to a complication called a vascular ring. This is where his aorta was one side of his oesophagus and the subclavian artery was on the other, which often made it hard for him to eat and breathe.”

After seeing countless doctors and specialists over 18 months and failing to find a diagnosis, Archie finally received a diagnosis and the heart surgery he needed. Now, six months, he’s a happy and energetic little boy!

It was Archie’s grandmother, Mary, who decided to sign up for MyMarathon. Not only was her family touched by matters of the heart with Archie, but her husband John, had also suffered two heart attacks in his life.

On days when Archie was in daycare, Mary would come to collect him and walk him home, tracking their kilometres on the way. Archie made the journey on his balance bike, something that his dad says he is very fond of!

“Mary and Archie were really thrilled to reach their 42km target,” says Sam. “They’re proud to help make a difference for other people living with heart conditions and heart disease.”

He continues, “It was really hard for me, my wife Alyse, and Archie to go through his heart journey, especially not having the correct diagnosis and answers right away. I hope that raising money in events like MyMarathon can improve similar journeys for families like ours in the future.”

All in all, Mary and Archie raised more than $3,200 – an incredible feat! A huge thank you to all our MyMarathon participants for taking on this event in its debut year.