Blackpool man born with heart plumbed ‘the wrong way’ completes London Marathon

Professional comedian Kieran Cooper, 32, was born with two congenital heart conditions – transposition of the great arteries (TGA) and double-outlet left ventricle (DOLV).

It meant the two main arteries in his heart were the wrong way round and the structure of his heart had developed incorrectly.

For Kieran it meant there wasn’t enough oxygen in the blood being pumped around his body.

Kieran said: “Before I was born there was no history of heart health problems in the family, nor any signs of anything being wrong when Mum was pregnant with me.

"But when I was born my lips and fingernails were quite blue, and after some investigations my parents discovered I had a congenital heart condition.”

Kieran’s parents, Beryl, now 66, and Keith, 65, were told that their son would need heart surgery and without it he could die.

Kieran needed to undergo a Fontan procedure which is made up of multiple surgeries that would help repair the blood flow through his heart.

He had his first surgery when he was just three months old.

This was followed by a second when he was aged two and the final operation in the procedure when he was five.

“As a young child, I knew I was different,” said Kieran, who also works as a restaurant and bar manager.

“I used to get out of breath easily and my nails would go purple all the time due to circulation problems. I also have a huge scar down my chest and whenever we went swimming at school people always asked me about it.

"I couldn’t really walk that far and wasn’t allowed to play football. I felt very different from my peers.”

However, in 2000, when Kieran was just nine, doctors decided to fit him with a pacemaker to help his heart pump blood more efficiently around his body – an unusual step fo one so young.

Kieran said: “My parents were shocked as it’s usually something associated with older people, but they were told it would improve my quality of life.

“Once I’d adapted to having the pacemaker fitted it really did give me a new lease of life. "

Kieran, who is dad to Emily, six, is now on his third pacemaker.

Kieran has so far raised more than £1,000 for the BHF.

Before the charity existed, the majority of babies diagnosed with a severe heart defect in the UK did not survive to their first birthday, but today, thanks to research, more than eight out of 10 survive to adulthood.

Karen McDonnell, Senior Events Manager at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), added: “We never fail to be inspired by the incredible stories of our supporters, and Kieran is no exception.  

 “With around 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK, every single step our runners have taken will help power science to find new cures and treatments to save and improve more lives.

"We’re extremely grateful for Kieran’s support and were proud to cheer him over the finish line.”     

To donate to Kieran, visit his JustGiving page here