A Bucksburn mum will embark on a charity walk in honour of her toddler, who suffers from a heart condition.
Millie Rae was inspired by two-year-old Austin to brave the 26-mile Mighty Stride during the upcoming Aberdeen Kiltwalk, and is collecting money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Scotland.
Austin was born at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in 2017 with a congenital heart condition and was transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow for surgery at just 18 hours old.
Mrs Rae said: “I’m doing it for Austin. It’s a simple as that.
“Until Austin was born I had never even thought about raising money for the charity but now supporting the BHF is incredibly important to me.”
The Kiltwalk offers anyone the opportunity to raise money for a charity of their choice, with the Sir Tom Hunter’s Foundation giving every penny raised a 40% top up.
Last year, more than 20,000 walkers helped raise £3.6 million for 1, 156 charities across Scotland and BHF Scotland is hoping to encourage its biggest ever team of walkers on Saturday, June 2.
Kathy McIlwaine, BHF Scotland Fundraising Manager for the north of Scotland said: “We are so grateful that Millie has chosen to support BHF Scotland, helping us raise funds for our life saving research because sadly her family’s story is all too common.”
“BHF Scotland is currently funding £63 million of research into heart and circulatory diseases across Scotland.”
The University of Aberdeen will be holding a BHF Scotland Supporters Day on Tuesday, Jun 25, offering people in the city and across Aberdeenshire the chance to see the charity’s research up close for themselves.
