Footballer raises thousands after daughter's diagnosis
BBCA professional footballer and his fiancée are set to run the Bristol Half Marathon in support of their daughter who has a heart condition.
Bristol Rovers defender Jack Sparkes and Abbie Denton have raised more than £5,000 for the British Heart Foundation, having had a target of £500.
Their daughter Lily was born with a partial atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD), a hole in the heart, and is awaiting a second operation.
"We wanted to do something that Lily can be proud of - and if it wasn't for the British Heart Foundation, there wouldn't be research to know how to do her surgery," said Denton.
"[Lily] was diagnosed when she was two, which is quite late really," Denton said.
"We always thought there was something not quite right from when she was born, really.
"Then a couple of years ago, were living in Peterborough, and she had this cough that wasn't shifting for about eight weeks, but one student doctor listened to Lily's heart and immediately picked something up."
Lily had an operation, but required further treatment. She is set to have another surgery later this year at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children to fix a defective heart valve.
The couple said training for Sunday's half marathon had been a challenge they relished.
"I probably do 10km or 11km in a game, but this is about double that," said Sparkes.
"We're very pleased with the money we've raised so far, and hopefully we can add a few hundred pounds more before the event."
He said Bristol Rovers has been "amazing", adding: "There's time when I've needed time off to go to appointments - and I'm beyond grateful for what Bristol Rovers have done for me.
"Even fans from my old clubs, like Portsmouth, have sent me messages of support, people who have gone through the same thing, and it's nice to see people can speak about this openly."
"At the game last week, a lot of fans came up to me and Jack and shared kind wishes, which was really nice," Denton added.
"It's also helped us get connected with other people you have been through a similar thing as well, and everyone's being really generous."
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