Every aunty likes to think they’re special but Nina Tait from Poole has just proved she’s a true superhero by undertaking a solo triathlon, raising over £1500 for the charity which has supported her six year old niece, Hannah, and her family ever since she was a baby.
Hannah was born with the rare and life-threatening disease, biliary atresia, and although she underwent urgent surgery at just three weeks old, by the age of six months she was in liver failure and needed a liver transplant. Her mum, Amanda, donated part of her liver but complications during surgery mean that Hannah needed a second transplant only one week later.
Several serous infections and further complications with her liver have led to a third transplant and Hannah is now on the waiting list for what will be her fourth – an extremely rare situation for a six year old.
“Despite everything, Hannah is the bravest, happiest little girl and she takes all of this in her stride,” says Nina. “She is looked after by an amazing medical team at Leeds General Hospital and she and her family have received support over the years from Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF).
“I wanted to support CLDF so that they can continue to be there for Hannah and other children with liver disease. I was chatting to a couple of friends back in the spring and we decided we’d like to take on a challenge. We picked an Ironman as swimming is my specialism, Sam’s is cycling and Jon’s running.
“We’d been training all summer but then Jon became injured and we had to postpone it . So many people had already donated, however, that I decided to go solo!
So on October 2, Nina undertook her solo Olympic triathlon comprising a 1.5k swim along Bournemouth and Poole seafront, followed by a 40k cycle ride and a 10k run, starting and finishing at Branksome Chine.
“It was quite a challenge,” admits Nina. “The whole thing took me just under four hours but that included the transition stages and chatting to supporters between each stage. I did feel exhausted afterwards but so happy to have done this for Hannah.
“We still plan to do the Ironman in the future although we don’t have a new date yet. In the meantime we are planning a 24hr fundraising cycle on spin bikes so watch this space!”
Rebecca Cooper, Chief Executive of Children’s Liver Disease Foundation, commented: “We’re the only UK charity dedicated to fighting all childhood liver diseases and we rely on voluntary donations so we’re delighted to hear what Nina has done. Hannah is an incredibly brave little girl and it’s no surprise she has inspired such a daunting fundraising challenge. Nina’s fundraising will enable us to continue to provide vital support to Hannah’s family and to others throughout the UK who are affected by liver disease in their child.”
You can still support Nina’s triathlon by going to: Nina Tait is fundraising for Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (justgiving.com)