Baby Annie was just seven days old when doctors said she needed emergency heart surgery. What should should have been a joyous time for new parents Anthony Hoare and Joanna Haworth turned into a nightmare.
Annie, who was born in 2016 and weighed a healthy eight pounds, was born without a problem, until she contracted an infection in hospital and doctors discovered she had a heart defect, LancsLive reports.
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Anthony and Joanna were terrified, but thankfully, Annie's surgery was a success. While baby Annie was treated at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Anthony and Joanna, from Rawtenstall, were given accommodation close by and lived at the Ronald McDonald House in Liverpool for a week whilst Annie was treated. Now six-years-old, baby Annie has regular check-ups, but is doing well and her parents have been focused on raising money to help other children and parents in similar situations.
Speaking to LancsLive, Jennifer Hoare, Anthony's sister, said: "When she was born, Annie, my niece was fine and ready to go home, until she got an infection and doctors said they couldn't find a pulse in her leg, which caused concern. They then found she had a heart defect and at just seven days old, she was taken into surgery.
"My brother and his fiancé were put up by the Ronald McDonald charity, which help you out whilst your baby is in hospital. I don't think a lot of people know about that, I definitely didn't.
"After though, I had a friend who had to go through a similar thing and her little girl was in the hospital for ages. She stayed in a Ronald McDonald house whilst she was there for a while, so I don't think there's a time limit on it as such.
"For my brother, to go to Liverpool everyday from Rawtenstall is not too far, but it's definitely far enough." To say thank you to both Ronald McDonald House and Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Anthony decided to set himself the challenge of running 1,000km in 2020.
He managed to achieve this goal with half marathons, after reflecting on how to raise money for the charities amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, Anthony's efforts didn't stop there as this year, he was given the opportunity to run in the London Marathon as he was put forward by Alder Hey for his keen spirits and fundraising achievements.
To get ready for this, Anthony has set himself challenges, with the first run in Milan to Switzerland and then to San Siro. He also completed the three lakes challenge with his friends and done his first total warrior.
"He managed to do all of this whilst working solid, often seven days a week," Jennifer added. "In total Anthony has raised nearly £6000 for Ronald McDonald house, plus over £1000 in gift aid.
"It's funny because before all of this, if someone said my brother was a runner I would have laughed! It was about raising money and getting fitter and he can't stop now.
"I think you read a lot of depressing news, but it's nice when you see something good. They're so inspiring to others and the fact they want to give back to help other people and that others might resonate with them is brilliant.
"Doing all of this fundraising is about helping other people. So, whenever you’re in McDonald’s, if you have any lose change pop it in the box, I promise you it’s going to a very worthy cause."
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