Miracle Miller - Raising Awareness and Money for Heart Kids NZ & Starship

At 20 weeks pregnant our daughter Miller was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect - a coarctation of the aorta and two genetic abnormalities. The diagnosis required Miller to have open heart surgery soon after birth. To say the least we were absolutely terrified, and had no idea what the road ahead looked like.

Little did we know she had other plans - to completely overcome the odds and pull through without needing surgery.

The support that Chris and I had through Starship and Heart Kids pre and post pregnancy was absolutely incredible, the staff there are truly passionate about their work. We will forever be grateful to the amazing nurses and doctors that helped us through our journey.

It blows my mind that every week 12 babies are born with a congenital heart defect and over 550 major heart surgeries are carried out on children of all ages every year.

Miller is now 7 months old. She has already overcome many challenges and will likely have more to come. Being born with a congenital heart defect certainly makes Miller unique, but it hasn’t stopped her from thriving and living her best life. We are so proud of her!

We will continue to receive support from Starship and Heart Kids for the duration of Miller's childhood and because of this I feel so strongly about giving back for the help we have received.

This year I will be running the 2021 Auckland Marathon on behalf of our little family to raise awareness and money for Starship and Heart Kids NZ. I have not run more than 10km in my life - so this is going to be a massive achievement.

The money raised will be split equally between both charities. Donations will help another family in need of support from Starship and Heart Kids NZ. Any and all donations would be appreciated!

If you want to follow my training journey you can find me on Instagram @brookestoreyfit

Thank you for supporting me!