Three north-east oil workers are gearing up to take on the ride of their lives in memory of an “incredibly brave” little girl.
Robbie Hendry, alongside his colleagues Arthur Forster and Dave Marshall, will embark on the mammoth journey from Land’s End to John o’ Groats next week following a year of intense training.
The trio will have nine days to cover 966 miles – averaging out at just over 108 per day – along the country’s windiest roads and some of the steepest peaks in the UK.
For Mr Hendry, who admits he has never been much of a cyclist, he has overhauled his entire life to ensure he is as prepared as possible for the gruelling and exhausting trek ahead.
But he says there is no doubt in his mind that he will complete the challenge, as it is all in memory of his precious daughter, Anna Elise, who lost her battle with a rare heart condition last year.
“That’s what motivates me above all – the fact that Anna went through so much and it wasn’t her choice,” explained the 37-year-old, who lives at Bridge of Don.
“This is the least I can do for her.”
Anne Elise was born with a congenital heart disorder called Tetralogy of Fallot, caused by a combination of four heart defects that cause oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and into the rest of the body.
She was diagnosed with the condition at eight-weeks-old after her mother, Kathleen, and father raised concerns that she was turning blue when she cried.
At just 12-weeks-old she underwent open heart surgery to fit a ‘shunt’ that would help push blood to the right places.
Anna Elise needed to go through another operation, but doctors wanted to wait until she had grown.
Last June, at just 13-months-old, the tot was admitted to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow for her long-awaited surgery.
Despite medics positive outlook, her condition was more complicated than they hoped and Anna Elise spent 16 days on a life support machine, enduring over 40 hours of open heart surgery to save her life.
In the end, she was kept alive using a ventilator after doctors realised there was little else they could do.
Not wanting the youngster to suffer anymore, her parents made the heart-breaking decision to turn the machine off.
“We were allowed to hold Anna as they switched the ventilator off, and she sadly passed away in our arms,” Mr Hendry said.
“She had a happy and content life, but one that was far too short.”
In addition to raising money for the Scottish Association for Children with Heart Disorders (SACHD) charity, Mr Hendry said his upcoming feat is all for Anna Elise.
“I wanted to do something to raise money, but didn’t think something like a bungee jump would cut it,” he said.
“It needed to be a physical challenge because of what she had been through.”