by Lucy Ashton
One year ago, five-year-old Lachie Macdonald received life-saving cardiac surgery at the Royal Hospital for Children, which takes patients from West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute.
Today, his mum, Jacqueline MacDonald (38), from the Western Isles, celebrated the anniversary of his surgery by completing a 310-mile running challenge, the distance from her home in Great Bernera to the RHC.
The mum of two has been clocking up the miles since 12 March, the first anniversary of Lachie’s operation, and has been running 40 miles a week around her home. Today, she completed the last 10 miles, finishing at the entrance of the hospital.
She was met with cheers of congratulations and joy from her family – including Lachie!
Lachie was diagnosed with atrial septal defect (ASD) when he was just three months old. The congenital heart defect causes a hole in the septum that separates the two chambers of the heart and interferes with the blood flow to the lungs.
Jacqueline added: “I was terrified of doing this, but if my wee boy can go through all he’s been through like the superhero that he is, then I thought, ‘I can run for a few miles’.”
Jacqueline’s ‘Laps for Lachie’ has helped to raise over £4500 in vital funds for the British Heart Foundation, as well as raise awareness of congenital heart defects and how many families in the Western Isles are affected in the same way.
Local BHF volunteer Laura Campbell said, “We are so incredibly grateful to Jacqueline for her efforts. Lachie is a wonderful little boy, and hearing their story was a real eye-opener. All the money raised by Jacqueline will help keep families like hers stay together for longer.”
The Scottish Paediatric Cardiac Service (SPCS) is based at the Royal Hospital for Children. Mandy Meechan, Chief Nurse at the RHC, said: “A huge congratulations to Jacqueline on this huge effort. The smiles on everyone’s faces today would have said it all! We also extend our thanks to her for raising further awareness of paediatric heart conditions. We’re glad to hear that Lachie received excellent care from our teams and that he is doing well.”