Source: Team_Talk
Stoke fan hits Iceland for BHF
A lifelong Stoke fan is looking for donations after completing a 75km trek across Iceland to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.[LNB] When Stoke were promoted to the Premier League in May 2008, things could not have got much better for Chris Price and his son Joe.[LNB]The pair were among the thousands celebrating on the Britannia Stadium pitch when the Potters clinched their return to the top flight on May 4 and little did they know that their lives were about to get turned upside down.[LNB]Joe, then 11, was diagnosed with a serious heart condition just 22 days after that famous Sunday and he continues to undergo regular treatment two years on.[LNB]Joe's condition, a severe narrowing of his aorta to his heart, is normally spotted in infants and it was described as a "miracle" that Joe had got to 11 without realising his problem.[LNB]He soon underwent life-saving surgery at The Childrens Hospital in Bristol and had a second operation in January of this year. Yet despite all of this Joe has been attending six or seven games a season since Stoke's promotion to the Premier League.[LNB]It is likely Joe will require open heart surgery when he is strong enough and he continues to make regular visits to hospital in the meantime, with plenty of support from the British Heart Foundation.[LNB]The BHF assigned Joe a designated nurse he sees on each visit to hospital and also provide him with regular counselling to come to terms with his condition.[LNB]His father Chris could not be more grateful for the help the BHF have provided. "We have had so much help and support from the British Heart Foundation that we wanted to give something back," he said.[LNB]"It is only when you have something like this happen do you realise just what charities like the BHF actually do and by doing the Iceland Trek, we could do something positive for ourselves and for them."[LNB]Chris trekked 75kilometres across Iceland, taking in rivers, mountains, ravines, gorges and volcanoes, and he, his father-in-law and a friend who also completed the trek have so far raised over £9400 for the BHF[LNB]Their aim is to push the total past £10k and you can help them achieve it by visiting Chris' Just Giving page here.
