A MERSEYSIDE mum whose baby son was born with a life-threatening heart condition is running marathons to raise money for the hospital which saved his life.

Kirsty McNeil’s baby boy, Sonny, underwent open heart surgery at Alder Hey’s cardiology department when he was just six months old. Without it he could have died.

Around one in 3,000 babies are born with the condition Tetrology of Fallot. And, if it’s left untreated, one third of babies die before their first birthday.

Sonny, now 21 months old, was a finalist in last year’s ECHO Baby of the Year competition.

Kirsty, 30 and from West Derby, is running two half-marathons in the New Year and the Brighton marathon. She’s hoping to raise £2,500.

She said: “I’m just so unbelievably grateful for all they did for my son. I want to repay them in any way I can because they saved his life.

“I was absolutely devastated. I was a total wreck when I found out about my son’s condition. Without Alder Hey, I don’t know what I would have done.”

Kirsty said she has never been into running before but was keen to raise all the money she could.

She said: “In the past, you wouldn’t have even caught me running for a bus. The training is really difficult and it’s a bit of a shock to the system but I’m determined to push through as a thank you to Alder Hey.”