Mum Revti’s marathon in thanks for her son’s life-saving heart operation
09 November 2020
The London Marathon may have been cancelled this year, but that didn’t stop one mum from pounding the pavement for 26.2 miles to raise money for the hospital that saved her son’s life.
Harikesh’s story
When Revti went to her 15-week pregnancy scan, she got news that expectant parents dread to hear. There was a problem with her unborn son Harikesh’s heart: he had an atrioventricular septal heart defect (AVSD).
Children born with AVSD have holes between the chambers of the right and left sides of the heart, and the valves that control the flow of blood between these chambers may not be formed correctly.
The only way to fix the condition is with major open heart surgery. To give Harikesh the best possible outcome, he was referred to Evelina London for monitoring shortly after his birth in January 2019.
The stress on the heart can cause babies with AVSD to develop signs of heart failure such as rapid breathing, feeding problems, slow weight gain and low energy.
“The doctor compared his struggle to that of a person trying to run and drink at the same time,” recalls Revti. “We were expecting Harikesh to have the surgery when he was around six months old, but it was bought forward because his heart was working too hard."
At just two months old, Harikesh was booked in to have the operation at Evelina London to repair his heart.
After over five hours in the operating room, Harikesh finally came out of surgery.
“The first sight of our son following his surgery was a shock, he didn’t look like himself,” says Revti. “He was swollen, covered with tubes and connected to numerous machines. The first 24 hours were critical in determining how he would recover. We were helpless and all we could do was wait.”
But thankfully, Harikesh bounced back quickly from his surgery. The next day most of the tubes he was connected to were removed, and within a couple of days he was transferred out of intensive care to the children’s ward.
“My son’s strength is an inspiration to us every day,” says Revti. “He has been through so much at such a young age and fought so hard to regain his health.”
Harikesh is now 21 months old, and thanks to the ongoing support and care from the cardiology team, Revti has had the joy of watching her son develop his own personality and play with his brother.
Running the marathon
A few months after the surgery, Revti signed up for the Virgin Money London Marathon to support Evelina London. Undeterred when the coronavirus pandemic cancelled the event, Revti found another way to show her gratitude for her son’s life-saving care.
Revti decided to complete the challenge by herself, running the 26.2 miles around her local area in five hours and nine minutes.
“Everyone at Evelina London went above and beyond to look after my boy during surgery and throughout his recovery,” says Revti. “The operation has given him the opportunity to now live a long and active life. Without these amazing professionals our son’s story would have been a very different one.”
“I’m absolutely delighted that Harikesh is doing well, and so grateful to Revti for taking on a marathon to raise funds for Evelina London,” says Dr Vita Zidere, a consultant foetal and paediatric cardiologist involved with Harikesh’s care.
It was considerably harder to run the marathon without a crowd cheering her on, or the company of other marathon runners. But knowing how much the hospital had done for Harikesh was all the motivation Revti needed to push through.
Thanks to her efforts, Revti has raised over £6,200 so far for her son’s hospital.
“Thank you will never be enough,” says Revti. “The care he and I received, and the aftercare he continues to receive, is second to none.”
You can still give back to your hospital even if your fundraising event has been cancelled. Find out how you can get active and do your own fundraising for Evelina London.
Please note, unfortunately, we are unable to take any telephone calls or process any donations by telephone for the immediate and foreseeable future. You can still donate by credit/debit card and/or make a regular gift by Direct Debit. You can also send a cheque too. Thank you very much for your support. We hugely appreciate it.
Go Online through our donation page, make a one-off payment or set up a monthly direct debit.
For a Bank Transfer, please contact our Supporter Care team via email info@supportevelina.org.uk
and we can provide the relevant details.
If you would like to send a donation by cheque, please make this payable to Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital Charity, with 'Evelina London' written on the reverse.
If you can include a covering letter with your contact details as well as reasons for donations and what you would like it to be put towards, we will write to you and let you know when the donation has been received.
Please send the cheque to this address:
Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital Fundraising Team Fundraising Team Virginia Woolf Building 22 Kingsway, 2nd Floor London
Can you claim Gift Aid on my donation?
Your donations are only eligible for Gift Aid if you are a UK taxpayer and we have a record of your postcode and donation amount. You must also tick the Gift Aid box on our sponsorship forms (Virgin Money Giving / Just Giving) or donation page.
Please note that we are unable to claim Gift Aid on ticket sales, raffle sales, corporate sponsorship, and sale of goods or auction proceeds.
Can I donate to a specific ward/department within the hospital?
If you would like to help a specific ward or department, we will do our best to find the most appropriate fund for your donation to go towards.
Please note that once a donation has been allocated to a specific fund, we are unable to change this at a later date.
Please also provide some basic information about the item, including how old the item is and we will then be able to confirm if the hospital is able to accept the item.
Please note that we are unable to accept soft toys and toys that cannot be easily cleaned.
If you would like to discuss this more to find out how we can help, please call our Supporter Care team via info@supportevelina.org.uk.
What is your charity number?
Evelina London is part of Guy’s and St Thomas Hospital so does not have a separate registered charity number.
The charity number for Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity is 1160316.
What happens to my personal details?
All the personal information about our supporters we collect is processed and stored in accordance with GDPR 2018, and all other applicable data protection laws and regulations. This includes, but is not limited to, the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations (PECR).
If you need a new tin, collection bucket or security seal sticker, then please let us know by contacting us via email at info@supportevelina.org.uk and we can send a replacement out to you. Please note, we currently have limited stock on some items, and there may be some delays with deliveries.
Do you accept donations of clothing?
Clean, plain clothing for adults and children are accepted, items such as jogging bottoms and sweatshirts are ideal. Used underwear is not accepted.
Thank you to everyone who has offered knitted bonding squares for our Neonatal Unit. We’ll let you know if we need more in future but for now, we have plenty. We’ve had so many offers our cupboards are overflowing!
How can I volunteer?
Fundraising volunteers are vital to our work at Guy's and St Thomas’ Hospital Charity. You can volunteer with us on events, awareness days, in general or even work with the Fundraising Team.
All our opportunities support our fundraising work and activities, we do not organise volunteering within the hospital. If this is what you are interested in please visit the Guy’s and St Thomas' volunteering page.
Policy for returning donations
We work hard to ensure you have the best supporter journey when you make a donation. Unfortunately, under charity law (The Charities Act 2011) we are unable to refund donations, other than in specific circumstances.
If you believe that a donation you have made should be refunded then please contact via email at info@supportevelina.org.uk and we can advise on what we can do.
If you are a company or individual who would like to make a product donation, please email our fundraising team at info@supportevelina.org.uk detailing the type of donation, quantity and estimated delivery date and we will get back to you as soon as possible to confirm if we are able to accept the donation.
All items must be new and in their packaging and please note that we are unfortunately unable to accept any hot food and drink or any perishable food items.
Well done Tony, you are a truely amazing little soul!
Tony! What an inspiration you are, so young, so brave and doing incredible things. Keep going and well done for absolutely smashing your target; it is going to an amazing cause and we love watching your journey. You can do it! X x
Dear Tony, what a beautiful, special, precious little boy you are. You are very brave and strong. You are an inspiration to us all. I hope your legs feel good and help you take on your challenge. You can do it!!👍🥰 I've donated because you made me so proud. Lots of love always Jude xxx
You are such an amazing superhero! Keep up the wonderful things you are doing!😀👍🚑🏃
Well done Tony on your 10km walk. We followed your progress. You are a brave little boy. We wish you well! Love xx
You are amazing and an inspiration to everyone - there's nothing you can't do or achieve in this life! Thank you so much
Caroline and Sarah, at The Cardiology Kids launch party in the park
George with his family
Thank you for everything you are doing. So proud of our NHS - heroes don’t all wear capes! Thank you for everything you do for us all and keep as safe as you can all of you. xx
You are all heroes and should be proud of yourselves as we are of you. No words of thanks can ever express the debt of gratitude.
You have looked after my daughter with such care, too which I am eternally grateful. Thank you.
I had my cancer treatment there, undoubtedly saved my life. Thank you.
I was born at Guy's hospital in 1974, and was treated in St Thomas' in 2003, where I was seriously ill for 13 weeks. Thank you for not only giving me life, but saving it too! X
Guy's and St Thomas' have looked after me so well over many years. Thank you for all those years and for everything you are doing in an unimaginably difficult time. Thinking of you and your families at this time. x
You saved my life when I had cancer. Thank you for then and thank you for now. x
The NHS saved my wife’s life 3 times. We love the nurses, doctors, specialists, secretaries - everyone. You are heroes. Sending hope and love.
You are all amazing and will be remembered in history. Stay strong.
Thank you isn’t enough, so a thousand times more.
You are all amazing and do an incredible job. Filled with gratitude and heartfelt thanks.
You are all phenomenal. Thank you so much.
Wishing you well during this crisis. You are all heroes and deserve the support of the whole nation.
From one nurse to all the others all over the world fighting Covid-19 and all the health professionals, I know this word and term is overused but this time it is a real meaning in the truest form of the word: You are all LEGENDS!
How can we ever repay you for what you are doing for us? Thinking of you all. The NHS means everything. Make sure you're looking after your own wellbeing as much as possible. Take care x
You are all genuine heroes. Each and every one of you!
You are all wonderful, heroic people. You save lives every day and you really, really make a difference. We salute you and send big hugs to keep you going. xx