Former footballer raises money for BHF a year on from lifesaving heart surgery

To mark one year since his lifesaving open-heart surgery, former professional footballer Fraser Franks is taking on his first half marathon to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Fraser’s biggest supporter Nellie, his five-year-old daughter, will be taking on her own challenge for her ‘hero’, running the AJ Bell Mini Great North Run with him the day before.

Now a BHF ambassador, Fraser signed with Chelsea aged eight years old with lofty dreams of pursuing the game he loved as a career. His grit and determination paid off and Fraser made it as a professional for Brentford FC aged 16.

All football players are given a basic heart screening on signing, and it was found that Fraser had an irregular heartbeat. This sparked further medical investigations which found that he had been born with a unicuspid aortic valve.

Unicuspid aortic valve affects around 0.2 per cent of the population and is when your aortic valve has only one flap of skin that helps control blood flow, instead of the usual three. This can cause problems as the valve cannot open and close properly, which impacts the flow of blood through the heart.

The former footballer said:

“When I found out about my unicuspid aortic valve, I was shocked as I hadn’t really felt any symptoms. I was worried that a heart condition meant my career would be over before it really began. It is every player’s worst nightmare. I remember one time being in hospital after a symptom flare-up just four days after playing Manchester City and thinking ‘How have I got here?’.

“I managed to keep playing until 2019 when I was forced to retire after contracting an infection around my heart. This resulted in me being hospitalised. I was 28 years old, and my football career was over. It was absolutely devastating.”

In September 2023, aged 31, Fraser had major open-heart surgery and a mechanical valve inserted to improve his quality of life and ensure his heart was working properly. It was a gruelling and long surgery followed by a tough recovery period that meant Fraser sadly missed Nellie’s first day of school.

He continued:

“Football was my identity. The repeated knockbacks I had due to my health were incredibly hard to process. I was once hospitalised just four days after playing against Manchester City and I couldn’t stop thinking ‘How did I get here?’.

“Having to change my whole life, my career because of my heart condition has taken its toll on me but I am so grateful for the medical help and support I’ve been given. Without this intervention, this surgery, I don’t know where I’d be.

“I’m so grateful to the team of surgeons for how they helped me and the BHF who are key in the fight against heart and circulatory conditions.”

To mark the one-year anniversary of this major surgery, which left Fraser with a large scar down his chest, he is taking on his first half marathon – the AJ Bell Great North Run for the British Heart Foundation. This time last year, Fraser was struggling to even walk.

Taking place in South Shields, the AJ Bell Great North Run is one of the most iconic half marathons in the world with over 60,000 people taking part each year. In 2023, BHF was named as the official charity of the AJ Bell Great Run Series. The partnership will run for two years and all the money raised will be invested in improving the heart health of the nation.

Talking about his daughter, Fraser said:

“Nellie’s been an unbelievable support in my recovery. I had my operation when she was just four years old, but her understanding was quite astonishing. She now draws on her own little heart surgery scar like mine when she’s in the bath.

“She’s been by my side through everything else, it’s only fitting we’re side-by-side for this too. I can’t wait to run the AJ Bell Mini Great North Run with her as my warmup for the big day.

“I’m so grateful to the BHF for all of the incredible research they fund into new cures and treatments for conditions like mine, and all the lives they’ve saved. Their funding of research is why parents like me get to see their children grow up, like I will get to watch Nellie. I’m doing this run to give back.”

Karen McDonnell, Senior Partnerships Manager at the BHF said:

“Partnerships like this with AJ Bell Great Run Series are simply indispensable to our mission to save and improve more lives.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Fraser and the other 1,000 BHF champions taking on the 13.1 miles of the AJ Bell Great North Run raising vital funds for our lifesaving research. So many of them will have a heartfelt personal connection. We wish Fraser, Nellie, and all of our brave BHF runners the absolute best of luck. Thank you for helping us continue to fund unbelievable medical breakthroughs for heart and circulatory conditions.”

Fraser concluded by saying:

“I want to show people there’s life after surgery. That’s why I’m taking on the AJ Bell Great North Run. Recovery is hard and different for everyone. The BHF do such fantastic work and I’m so proud to be an ambassador and represent the charity during this huge personal challenge.”

Follow and donate to Fraser’s challenge here: British Heart Foundation: Fraser Frank’s fundraising page (enthuse.com).

To take on your own AJ Bell Great Run Series Event for the BHF visit: www.bhf.org.uk/AJBellGreatRuns.