Dad's life-changing challenge for daughter's life-saving care

A THANKFUL dad who lost over six stone has used his own life-changing journey to raise over £1,600 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, as a thank you for the lifesaving care two of his daughters received as tots.

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At the start of this year, 22 stone Scott Furlong, from Stafford, decided enough was enough and underwent weight loss surgery to better his health for his children, but that was just the start of his journey. Once Scott had recovered, he pushed himself to get fit by taking on a gruelling eight-week boxing bootcamp course, culminating in a charity boxing match.

For Scott, there was never any question over who his charity of choice should be. It was always going to be Birmingham Children's Hospital, where two of his daughters Clodagh and Emilia, both six, received very different life saving care when they were small.

Unbeknown to Clodagh’s mum, Eleanor, Clodagh was born with a heart condition called severe aortic stenosis, which hadn't been picked up during her pregnancy. Clodagh's condition meant one of the valves in her heart was narrower than it should be, reducing blood flow to the rest of her body.