13 hours Ago
A schoolboy who suffers with a heart condition challenged expectations to raise money for charity. Seven-year-old James Bravery took on the challenge of walking 10 miles to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. The boy from Broadbridge Heath walked the route around Horsham with his family last Sunday (16 February) and has since raised over £1,300 for the charity.
At only a few weeks old, James was found to have three holes in his heart and a bicuspid aortic valve. The condition means that one of the valves in James’ heart does not work properly and he will need an operation to fit a replacement. Inspired by his own journey and the British Heart Foundation’s ‘Heart Month’ campaign, James decided to take on the challenge.
(Image: Emma Bravery) He said: “My heart may not have been made perfectly but I feel very fortunate to be a child with a heart condition who can enjoy a reasonably normal life at the moment. "There are children under constant hospital care or that sadly never get to experience life at all. “I would really like to raise some money for the BHF so children like me, and especially those less fortunate than me, can benefit from their research and help everyone with heart conditions.
“Ten miles was a long way for me and my little legs, but I wanted to push myself to raise as much money as possible.” Despite his condition, James does not want it to stop him from having a normal childhood. He said: “I sometimes feel unwell with chest pain, and I feel tired sometimes too and get a bit short of breath when I run about too much.
“I want to have a normal childhood, so I always do everything I want to do but I have to be quite grown up and let someone know if I feel unwell straight away. “My school are amazing and take good care of me and my mum, dad and older brother are always close by when I need them.” James has regular check-ups to monitor his condition (Image: Emma Bravery) James’ mother, Emma Bravery, described the moments they discovered his condition.
She said: “After a couple of days, James stopped feeding properly. He lost so much weight that the doctors were concerned about him, and I rushed him back to the hospital. “It was really scary.
The names of the conditions don’t mean anything to you. You just know there’s a problem with your child’s heart, and you’re afraid of what it could mean for them.” Helen Smith, Fundraising Manager for Sussex at the British Heart Foundation, applauded James’ work.
She said: "What an incredible young man James is. He’s living with the challenge of his own heart condition, but his energy and focus is on what he can do to help others. “It’s fantastic to see that his fundraising is doing so well, and I hope that his kind-hearted efforts are rewarded with further generous donations.
Thank you, James, – you are an inspiration.” Donations can be made via James’ Go Fund Me page..
