A RENFREW grandfather put his heart and soul into completing a charity race after his grandson was born with a congenital defect.

Phil Hazell, 60, took on the Royal Parks Foundation Half-Marathon in support of the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

And every step of the way, his grandson Seth was in his thoughts.
Seth was born in November 2017 with a heart which hadn’t formed fully in the womb.

Last month, just before his first birthday, he underwent open heart surgery to fix this defect and, thankfully, is now recovering well at home with his mum Marissa.

As a result of experiencing first hand how difficult it is to deal with an infant born with heart complications, Phil decided to take on the challenge to support the BHF and help fund lifesaving research into conditions similar to Seth’s.

Phil, who was delighted to raise around £1,700 through his charity run, told The Gazette: “It was an incredibly emotional time with our little chap going through open heart surgery.

“The hospital gave us a British Heart Foundation leaflet to help explain the procedure and, ever since then, we wanted to do something for the charity to help fund lifesaving research that gives babies like Seth a fighting chance.

“The run was tough. I have completed marathons all over Europe but this was my first event in a while. I have been struggling with a calf injury which hampered my training but knowing first-hand the difference the British Heart Foundation’s research makes to babies like Seth helped power me to the finish line.”

Karen McDonnell, event organiser at the BHF, is full of praise for Phil.
She said: “It’s fantastic that he has taken huge strides to help beat heartbreak forever.

“By becoming a British Heart Foundation champion, Phil has helped to fund vital research that will end the devastation caused by heart and circulatory disease once and for all.

“Every step Phil took will help bring us closer to the day when families aren’t torn apart by conditions like diabetes, stroke, vascular dementia and coronary heart disease.”