By Gillian Ellison

Published at 15:51, Wednesday, 28 October 2009

BORN with a serious heart condition, Connor Mason had to undergo lifesaving open heart surgery at just 11 days old.

WAIT FOR ME, BATMAN! Connor and his dad Gary in training for their next fundraising run

Now, six years on, Connor – together with his mum and dad – has just taken part in the Great North Run.

Dressed as Batman, with his dad Gary dressed as Robin, they ran the one mile ‘Mini Great North Run’.

Meanwhile mum, Kath, ran the 13.1 miles of the half marathon.

They were all raising money for the Children’s Heart Unit at Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, which performed Connor’s lifesaving operation and subsequent care. Between them they raised a total of £1,405 and daughter Leah hopes to take part next year.

“No amount of words could ever express my family’s gratitude to the wonderful team at Freemans,” said Kath, of Springfield Avenue, Whitehaven.

“We hope that by helping in any way we can, we will help other families who find themselves in a similar position to ours.”

With the help of family and friends, they have raised a staggering £10,000 plus for the unit to date.

Connor took part in his first sponsored toddle fundraiser aged just three with his friends from nursery, raising nearly £3,000.

“Connor is a very happy, healthy boy who loves playing rugby and football,” said Kath. “Apart from the ‘battle scars’ to show what he has been through, you would never know that he’d been through so much.”

The couple are delighted at how their son’s fitness has been improving– 12 months ago they would not have thought he could run a full mile.

The Jericho School pupil does still have some problems following his surgery and has to visit Freeman Hospital every year for the rest of his life for tests and checks.“We don’t know what the future holds, however, at the present time nothing holds him back and it’s a real pleasure to see him getting so much from his life,” said Kath.Kath added: “Through our experience, we have learned to treasure every single moment with our special boy.”

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk