A SCIENCE teacher from Hampshire who lives with two heart conditions is running a marathon or ultra-marathon every month for half a year to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Kimberley Cross, a 30 year old mum from Stubbington, is running the London Marathon on Sunday as one of her extreme running challenging to raise money for a charity very close to her heart.

In 2012, Kimberley was diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) which gives her heart palpitations, leaves her so breathless that she passes out and causes debilitating attacks of numbness in both arms and legs.

“When I was diagnosed with SVT at 22, I was very fit," Kimberley says.

"However, I was getting regular chest pains and these attacks of numbness.

"Once I even passed out in the street and woke up with paramedics around me.

"These attacks happened up to twice a week and one happened when I was teaching which was frightening and embarrassing.”

It took seven months after Kimberley’s collapse on the high street for her to get a diagnosis of SVT.

She found the news difficult to swallow as at the time she was training for the Paris Marathon.

The treatment for SVT is ablation therapy – an invasive procedure which aims to destroy abnormal tissue in the heart by burning it away.

Unfortunately Kimberley’s surgery wasn’t successful and as a result, her life was altered.

“I was told I couldn’t have caffeine, alcohol or let myself get too tired because of the high risk of attacks," she says.

"I became very aware of my health, my heart and what I must do to ensure I was healthy enough to continue my passion – running.”

Despite her SVT, Kimberley continued to train for and compete in marathons and ultra-marathons.

However, in 2017 she suffered another health blow and was diagnosed with a second heart and circulatory condition - Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) whilst she was pregnant with her daughter.

Kimberley explains: “IPT means I have low levels of blood platelets which leads to excessive bruising and bleeding.

"This negatively affects my immune system so I take medication for my ITP and I’m closely monitored by the hospital.”

Alongside her medication for both SVT and ITP, Kimberley finds that exercise and staying active helps with the debilitating and disruptive symptoms of her conditions; although she has to take medication with her whenever she runs.

Kimberley’s aim is to raise £1,000 for the BHF which will help to fund life saving research into heart and circulatory diseases.

She says: “I have chosen to run the London Marathon and all of the other challenging running events this year for the BHF because as a scientist, I greatly appreciate all of the ground-breaking research they fund. I also want to raise awareness of the fact that you can still be fit with a heart condition (or two!).”

Karen McDonnell, London Marathon Organiser for the BHF, adds: “We are thrilled that Kimberley has chosen to take on these immense challenges, including the London Marathon, for the BHF.

"It’s wonderful to see the passion and enthusiasm from someone who feels that they have benefited from the work carried out by us and is therefore raising money for our life saving research.

"We wish Kimberley the very best of luck in her exciting endeavours and will be cheering her on every step of the way at the London Marathon!”

If you would like to sponsor Kimberley and help her to beat heartbreak forever, please do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kimberley-cross1