A DEVOTED brother has cycled 170 miles to raise funds for a hospital which helped to save his sister’s life.
Upton-by-Chester High School pupil William Ellis, 15, has watched his sister Vanessa, 16, struggle with two major heart defects from the age of 10.
Vanessa discovered she had a prolapsed valve and a hole in her heart and had to undergo keyhole surgery.
Six years on and Vanessa, who also attends Upton-by-Chester High School, was devastated to learn at a regular check-up this year that she could face open heart
surgery at the Countess of Chester Hospital at some point in the near future.
As a result of the shock news, her doting brother William pledged to raise funds for the hospital.
William said: “I would like to raise some money for the coronary care unit of the
Countess of Chester Hospital, who deal with all cardiac (heart) conditions, as I am
very grateful for the support and care they have given to my sister, and I know that
this is the unit that will carry out her heart operation in the future.
“I would like to give something back to the unit and all the other patients who they also help and care for on a daily basis.”
William has recently completed a coast-to-coast bike ride for the unit.
He travelled from Morecambe, Lancashire, on the west coast of England to Bridlington, Yorkshire, with his dad Graham, of Vicars Cross – completing the gruelling 170-mile ride in just three days.
Mum Lisa said: “He really struggled the first day – he called me and said he was aching like mad but said he felt proud he had done it.
“It was great – people were following him on Twitter and he had a blog on Facebook.
“It’s been something really good for him and he’s such a caring lovely lad – I know Vanessa is really proud of him.”
So far William has raised £600 but hopes to push that to £1,000.
To donate go to www.charities trust.org/members_data/event/willsc2c