Mum completes charity run to Glasgow for anniversary of son’s heart surgery
A mum from the Western Isles has completed a 310-mile running challenge - the distance from her home in Great Bernera to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow - where her son underwent open-heart surgery a year ago.
Jacqueline MacDonald, 38, is celebrating the anniversary of her youngest son Lachie’s lifesaving surgery after he was diagnosed with atrial septal defect (ASD).
She has been clocking up the miles since 12 March - the first anniversary of Lachie’s operation - running 40 miles a week around her home but completed the last 10 miles in Glasgow yesterday (Thursday, May 7, 2026), finishing at the children’s hospital.
Lachie was just 3 months old when he was diagnosed with the congenital heart defect which causes a hole in the septum that separates the two chambers of the heart and interferes with the blood flow to the lungs.
Jacqueline, a chemotherapy nurse, said it was a terrifying time for the family, including husband Chris, Stornoway Port’s harbour master, and their eldest son Hamish, seven.
They were told that Lachie would need surgery, but no date was given: “The bigger he got and more boisterous he became we wanted to wrap him in cotton wool, which is so hard for a little boy finding his feet,” she says.
Three years and many appointments later, during which time the family had to travel up and down to Glasgow, Jacqueline and Chris were told that the hole in Lachie’s heart had grown and open-heart surgery was needed.
Jacqueline adds: “He was put on a waiting list, and we were told he may be called last minute for his operation. From then on, it was nerve wracking every time my phone went.”
When the call finally came, the family were on the first flight to Glasgow for Lachie to have his operation.
Jacqueline continues: “The next two weeks were something I would not wish on any parent. I’m a nurse with 15 years of experience and it all meant nothing. I was on the other side and felt completely helpless. But the care that Lachie received was amazing. From all the theatre staff to the domestics who came in to make him smile every day.”
A year on, and Lachie is transformed, says his mum: “The energy he has now compared to before his operation is unreal. He is like a wee pocket rocket and full of mischief; just the way we want him to be!”
Lachie, who turned five last month, was at the hospital in Glasgow with his big brother Hamish, and dad Chris, to cheer his mum’s arrival.
Jacqueline added: “I was terrified of doing this, but if my wee boy can go through all he’s been through like the superhero that he is, then I can run for a few miles.”
Jacqueline’s ‘Laps for Lachie’ has helped to raise over £4500 in vital funds for the British Heart Foundation as well as awareness of congenital heart defects.
“It felt amazing to finish and I had loads of people waiting for me and Lachie was holding a big banner at the end, so it was a little bit emotional,” says Jacqueline.
“Now I would like carry on making people aware of how serious it is for kids with congenital heart problems especially in the islands given how far we have to travel, and I would like to start a support group for families going through the same thing because there’s nothing like that up there and it’s something I really struggled with.”
Local BHF volunteer Laura Campbell said: “We are so incredibly grateful to Jacqueline for her efforts. Lachie is a wonderful little boy and hearing their story was a real eye opener. All the money raised by Jacqueline will help keep families like hers stay together for longer.”
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