We’ve made over £20,000 for the charity that saved my daughter’s life — one day, I’ll row the Atlantic for them

Matt Roberts didn’t cognize whether his youngest daughter, 4-year-old Amalie, would marque it to her archetypal day aft requiring unfastened bosom surgery conscionable weeks into being born.

The 40-year-old father-of-three and his wife, Sophie, 43, were told by doctors astatine Amalie’s 20-week scan that she would beryllium calved with some a hole successful her heart – known arsenic a Ventricular Septal Defect – arsenic good arsenic a uncommon signifier of congenital bosom disease.

Amalie was Matt and Sophie’s 3rd child, and truthful the mates felt ‘very relaxed’ going into the scan arsenic they’d ‘done it earlier and knew what was coming.’

‘In fact, we were truthful excited that we decided to bring the kids along, truthful they could instrumentality a look astatine the scan of their caller babe sister,’ Matt recalls.

‘When we arrived, everything went to plan. The caregiver archetypal saw Sophie and got her settled portion I waited with the kids. But 5 oregon 10 minutes went by and they inactive hadn’t called america successful – and it was astatine that constituent that I started to fearfulness that thing mightiness beryllium up.

At that point, Matt requested to spell successful – which helium was permitted to do, but without the kids. There, they sat some him and Sophie down and delivered the news.

‘The assignment was lone 2 days later, but those 2 days were agony. We had nary thought what was going to hap and couldn’t assistance ourselves but walk each waking hr looking online to recognize the information that Amalie mightiness have,’ Matt adds.

‘When they delivered the afloat diagnosis, we conscionable had this sinking feeling. We didn’t cognize whether Amalie would survive.’

The severity of Amalie’s information meant that without involution she mightiness not person lived longer than a month, but acknowledgment to life-changing enactment by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Amalie is present a steadfast and blessed four-year-old, who has conscionable started superior school.

On her gestation with Amalie, Sophie notes that it was ‘very different’ to thing she’d antecedently experienced, noting that ‘as we approached Amalie’s owed date, we had much predominant check-ins to measure the champion attraction strategy for erstwhile she was born.’

‘They knew that they had to run from the infinitesimal they recovered retired astir the defect. However, it wasn’t until the commencement itself that they could enactment retired the process was pre-surgery,’ Sophie shares.

When it came to the birth, the mates were ‘frightened’ but felt ‘in harmless hands.’ Amalie was Sophie’s 3rd C-section, arsenic she’d antecedently had an exigency C-section for her archetypal kid and past a planned for her 2nd – but this clip around, determination were 15 members of unit present.

‘It sounds frightening, but they all made america consciousness truly astatine ease. They were truthful calm and professional,’ Sophie notes.

‘Without doubt, the hardest portion of Amalie’s accomplishment into the satellite was the moments aft the commencement itself. We were lone capable to clasp her for 2 minutes earlier she was whisked away, but each you privation arsenic a parent is to hold them, look astatine them, and recognize them.

‘But unfortunately, that clip was crudely chopped short, truthful she could beryllium taken to intensive attraction – and was instantly followed by fearfulness of what was next. It was heartbreaking – really, truly horrible.’

The doctors past waited 2 weeks earlier Amalie’s surgery, to let her to accumulate arsenic overmuch spot arsenic possible. First, she was successful intensive attraction for 5 days earlier being moved to the Royal Infirmary, wherever she was ‘deemed stable.’

‘At that point, they decided it was champion they gave america a week of normality – a infinitesimal of respite erstwhile we could instrumentality her home, look aft her and beryllium a family,’ Sophie says, adding that the household were ‘so grateful’ to beryllium fixed that week, but it was besides akin to a ‘purgatory.’

The country was subsequently successful, and the mates ‘couldn’t person been happier’ arsenic they felt they were ‘out of blistery water.’

Amalie was inactive connected a batch of medicine afterwards though, arsenic she had immoderate kidney harm and truthful needed to beryllium connected dialysis, arsenic good arsenic needing predominant neurology exams.

Then, erstwhile Covid hit, the household needed to beryllium ‘incredibly careful’ astir shielding – but eventually, Amalie was capable to travel disconnected her medication. Today, she lone needs a yearly check-up.

She’s present conscionable a fewer weeks distant from celebrating her 5th birthday, and her parents picture her arsenic the ‘life and psyche of the classroom,’ wherever she ‘loves showing disconnected the scar connected her abdomen to each her caller friends.’

‘Matt, her older member and I each person scars connected our body, truthful she’s learnt that it’s decidedly thing to beryllium arrogant of. I’m truthful gladsome she’s present with us.’

Matt, who lives successful Somerset, says: ‘You can’t enactment into words however you consciousness erstwhile you’re told your unborn babe volition request country a fewer weeks into their life. All you tin bash is anticipation and commune that they travel retired the different side.

‘Without the British Heart Foundation, Amalie simply wouldn’t beryllium present today. The BHF not lone pioneered the country that saved her life, but BHF prof Massimo Caputo was the surgeon appointed to transportation retired Amalie’s operation.

‘The squad besides provided a wealthiness of enactment arsenic we went done the process and was connected manus to reply immoderate questions. The BHF was – and continues to beryllium – amazing.’

For that reason, Matt and Sophie person since made it their ngo to rise arsenic overmuch wealth arsenic imaginable for the charity, from putting connected creation exhibitions, to moving ultramarathons. To date, the 2 person raised £21,000, and they person nary program of stopping.

It comes arsenic caller Openreach probe reveals astir fractional of those surviving successful the UK (46%) instrumentality the clip to volunteer successful their communities.

Matt adds: ‘We are everlastingly indebted to the BHF, truthful we bash perfectly everything we tin to rise wealth for the organisation.’

‘A mates years ago, I ran the Cardiff fractional marathon dressed successful a monolithic bosom costume – that was 1 of the hottest and sweatiest experiences of my life, but I made it.

‘Before that, I ran the Marathon des Sables, a seven-day, 257 km ultramarathon crossed the Sahara Desert, astir six times longer than a mean marathon. That was besides beauteous blistery and sweaty, but wholly worthy it arsenic we raised implicit £15,000 for the BHF.

‘Aside from that, my woman and I person enactment connected creation auctions, apparel income – each sorts. Once you spell done thing similar that, you can’t stop. You conscionable privation to support connected giving arsenic overmuch arsenic you tin successful the anticipation that others tin payment from their fantastic work.’

‘When it comes to uncovering the clip to bash each of this portion having a full-time career, I’m precise thankful that I enactment astatine a concern that gives maine the flexibility to organise my foundation events and enactment my household arsenic a hubby and a begetter alongside my work.’

Openreach’s probe recovered that 39% said they are much apt to unpaid arsenic a effect of enactment policies specified arsenic paid permission – arsenic good arsenic flexible hours and distant moving options.

However, lone 16% of Brits accidental their leader offers paid clip disconnected for volunteering and foundation work.

‘Openreach offers paid unpaid days arsenic an worker benefit, which has allowed maine to instrumentality clip disconnected to proceed raising much wealth – and encourages others to assistance maine out.

‘I’ve conscionable travel backmost from a 10km aquatics implicit the weekend, truthful I’m not definite erstwhile I’ll instrumentality my adjacent unpaid day, but I surely person plans for the future.

‘It would beryllium astonishing to commencement getting the kids progressive successful these adventures arsenic they get older and proceed the household fundraising effort. However, the large imagination connected the bucket database would beryllium to enactment crossed the Atlantic for BHF.

‘It’s an perfectly mammoth feat – astir 3,000 miles, rowing each time for 2 months straight.

‘But arsenic I say, I person a large crushed to support connected going. I’m precise fortunate to beryllium sitting present contiguous arsenic a begetter of 3 fantastic children, and it’s each acknowledgment to the British Heart Foundation. So, I guess… onto the adjacent one!’

Do you person a communicative to share?

Get successful interaction by emailing [email protected].

MORE : My dada was told he’d ne'er play athletics past led Great Britain to triumph successful 1972

MORE : I cognize my disablement makes maine a amended parent

MORE : Woman blinded by parasites aft making mistake with her interaction lenses

This tract is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.