Heart transplant patient walks half marathon to raise money for Wessex Heartbeat

A former member of the Southampton cardiac team – and heart patient himself – has completed a half marathon alongside his family, friends, clinicians and former colleagues.

Robbie Burns, 50 from Twyford, walked 13 miles from Winchester to Southampton in aid of Wessex Heartbeat, the region’s leading heart charity which provides vital support and funding to the cardiac department – and its patients – at Southampton General Hospital.

After setting himself the epic challenge after a heart transplant in the summer of 2020, Robbie chose Heartbeat House, Wessex Heartbeat’s "home from home" for families of patients at the hospital, as the finish line.

Joined by his wife, Tamsin, cardiologists Katrijn Jansen, Peter Cowburn, and Aisling Carroll, and another 90 walkers, Robbie raised £8,000 in the process.

He said: "The Southampton Cardiac team has played a huge part of my life for the past 25 years, both as a cardiac patient as well as the various roles I’ve held within the department such as Cardiothoracic Clinical Services Manager and Cardiothoracic Directorate Accountant.

"I have been looked after exceptionally well by the team at Southampton and have seen first-hand the difference the funding and support from Wessex Heartbeat makes."

Born in 1970 with Transposition of the Great Arteries and Ventricular Septal Defect (a birth defect that meant the two main arteries carrying blood out of his heart – the main pulmonary artery and the aorta – were switched in position), Robbie was immediately referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

After undergoing two open-heart operations as a child, Robbie was reasonably healthy for many years, graduating from the University of Southampton in 1993 and joining the NHS as a graduate financial management trainee. He has worked in numerous senior roles in the NHS including Director of Strategy and Chief Operating Officer at Great Ormond Hospital.

However, in 1997 Robbie’s heart issues started to raise concerns. He had countless outpatient appointments, diagnostic tests, procedures and stays at University Hospital Southampton. In 2015, his health took a decline, and in 2019, the team at Southampton diagnosed end-stage heart failure and referred him to Newcastle for transplant assessment.

After a challenging year, with continuous IV drug therapy, Robbie was added to the urgent transplant list, receiving the all-important call that he was to have the operation in June last year.

Robbie said: "The call actually came on our wedding anniversary. And I received the transplant the following day.

"Although my recovery has been long and extremely turbulent, including three months in hospital during the Covid pandemic, from March this year, I have been feeling fitter and stronger every day." The walk was still a challenge as Robbie lives with the impact of years of an inefficient heart and the transplant surgery itself.

John Munro, Chief Executive of Wessex Heartbeat, said: "Robbie’s story is truly inspiring and to hear that he’s taken on such a mammoth task for our charity, is overwhelming.

"Our upmost priority is to ensure that heart patients and their families are treated with the best possible care and support, and without the donations from our incredible supporters, we would not be able to provide this vital help for the community.

For more information about Wessex Heartbeat, visit https://www.heartbeat.co.uk/