Cardiac patient walks 122 miles for Wessex Heartbeat
The charity cared for Matthew Cornick during his ten open-heart surgeries
A man who has had ten open-heart surgeries and numerous other procedures during his lifetime is raising money for Wessex Heartbeat.
Matthew Cornick, 27, is walking 122.2 miles to raise the money and awareness of the regional charity that looked after him during his procedures.
The chosen distance is the exact mileage from his home in Dorset to Wessex Heartbeat's Hearbeat House in Southampton.
Matthew said: “I set myself this challenge as a way to give thanks to Wessex Heartbeat. My family has stayed at Heartbeat House on numerous occasions while I have had my surgeries and it served as a lifeline for us all.
“Knowing that there are so many families in the same situation as mine, I thought what better way to spend lockdown than to raise money for this important charity.”
Matthew was born with Aortic Stenosis which eventually led to him needing replacement Aortic and Mitral valves. And as a result of complications during surgery he is now fully pace dependent and has a pacemaker fitted.
Inspired by Matthew’s incredible story, Wessex Heartbeat is calling on the people of West Sussex to take part in their very own “Walk to Heart Health” fundraiser.
John Munro, chief executive of Wessex Heartbeat, said: “We are always honoured to see our very own cardiac patients coming up with new ways to raise money for the charity and we couldn’t be more proud of Matthew.
“To take part in the Walk to Heart Health fundraiser we are asking West Sussex residents to walk the distance it would take between their home and Heartbeat House over the next few weeks. That’s about 20 miles – or just less than a mile a day across one month.
“Not only is this a fantastic way to raise money for the charity but is a fantastic low-impact cardiac exercise which will help keep your heart healthy.”
You can donate to Matthew's fundraiser here.