Dad’s Life-Changing Challenge For Daughters’ Life-Saving Care

A thankful dad who lost over six stone used his own life-changing journey to raise over £1,600 for us, as a thank you for the life-saving care two of his daughters received as tots.

At the start of 2025, 22 stone Scott Furlong, from Stafford, decided enough was enough and underwent weight loss surgery to better his health for his children but that was just the start of his journey. Once Scott had recovered, he pushed himself to get fit by taking on a gruelling eight-week boxing bootcamp course, culminating in a charity boxing match.

For Scott, there was never any question over who his charity of choice should be. It was always going to be our hospital, where two of his daughters, Clodagh and Emilia, both six, received very different life saving care when they were small.

Unbeknown to Clodagh’s mum, Eleanor, Clodagh was born with a heart condition called severe aortic stenosis, which hadn’t been picked up during her pregnancy. Clodagh’s condition meant one of the valves in her heart was narrower than it should be, reducing blood flow to the rest of her body. Eleanor took Clodagh home after she was born but she knew something wasn’t right and she had to fight for baby Clodagh to be seen by a doctor. At five-weeks-old, Clodagh began struggling to breathe and was rushed into her local hospital, where doctors tried to determine whether Clodagh had sepsis, a brain tumour or a heart condition before realising her diagnosis. Clodagh was transferred to our hospital, where expert surgeons repaired her tiny heart the same day. Clodagh recovered well and has lived life to its fullest ever since but due to the nature of her condition, she will need further open-heart surgery soon. She has most recently moved from liquid to tablet form medication which she is incredibly proud of.

Scott’s daughter, Emilia, was two when she was treated by our specialist burns team after a tragic accident at home involving a hot drink. Emilia suffered substantial burns and after being rushed to Birmingham by ambulance, she spent over a week in our Burns Centre as doctors and nurses treated and dressed her wounds to help them heal as best as possible. Thankfully, Emilia made a full recovery.

After eight weeks of tough training, Scott went on to win his boxing match and even won the ‘Top Fundraiser’ award for his efforts for our charity. However, the biggest prize for Scott was the response from his daughters, Clodagh, Emilia and their little sister, four-year-old Maébh, who were so inspired by their dad’s personal challenge that they took on their own, and completed our Kids Summer Challenge, which saw them walk 31 miles throughout the month of August.

Scott said: “My journey started because I wanted to be healthier and fitter to be there for my kids but it’s become so much more than that. Being able to give back to the hospital our family owes so much to has just felt like such a comfort, especially knowing Clodagh will need more surgery in the future.

“I’m proud of myself for how far I’ve come but I’m also so proud that the girls have been inspired watching my journey. Their little challenge brought our family’s fundraising total up to £1,610 and we’d love to make that £2025 in 2025, so I’ve also signed up to take on a 10k race at Run Alton Towers later this year.”

Annie Eytle, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Scott’s been on an impressive personal journey this year and we’re incredibly humbled that he chose to use that time to support our sick kids. He’s not done yet though and we can’t wait to see what he achieves next!

“Scott’s fundraising will go on to help us continue supporting kids like Clodagh and Emilia and families just like theirs.”