This weekend, Mark Sansom, who works at the Oxford Heart Centre, is taking on the epic challenge of sailing 50 nautical miles around the Isle of Wight.

Mark, who works as a Deputy Charge Nurse in Cardiothoracic Critical Care at the John Radcliffe Hospital, is doing the Round the Island Race and raising funds and say thank you to the hospital teams who looked after his mum, Daphne.

Daphne was treated at the Oxford Heart Centre in December when she had a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) procedure. The care she received inspired Mark to go the extra nautical mile and get fundraising.

He explains: "Ever since my mum was looked after by the incredible teams at the Oxford Heart Centre, I knew I wanted to do something to give back and say thank you. 

“Before the operation, mum used to get breathless even during phone calls, often cutting conversations short, however since the procedure it's often been difficult to get her off the phone! They’ve done an incredible job.

“As someone who works in the Oxford Heart Centre it was quite strange to see things from the other side, and I wanted to find a way to say thank you properly.

“The team at Oxford Hospitals Charity have just launched a half a million-pound appeal for the Heart Centre, and I realised I could combine my challenge with a fundraiser for them.

“Being a member of staff here I know just how big a part the charity plays in supporting staff and patients across the Oxford Heart Centre as well as across the wider hospitals.  I hope that my fundraising goes someway to not only thank the teams that looked after my mum but also support the charity's new appeal."

Laura King, Head of Fundraising at Oxford Hospitals Charity added: 

“We’re so thrilled that Mark’s mum is doing so well and that he has chosen to support our charity. 

‘We’ve just launched our new Heartfelt Appeal, so Mark will be one of our very first fundraisers through the Round the Island Race and we really hope his efforts will inspire others to get on board with the appeal! 

For more information about our newly launched appeal, please visit www.hospitalcharity.co.uk/heart