Mum takes on Great North Run to thank charity for care of her 10-month-old son

SOUTH Yorkshire mum, Jaga Natsagdorj, is taking on the Great North Run to say thank you for the care her son Albert received at Sheffield Children’s. 

At Jaga’s 20-week scan, an anomaly was found on Albert’s lungs, so she was transferred from Chesterfield Royal Hospital to Sheffield Children’s, along with her husband Martin, for more support. At this stage, the parents were told Albert was unlikely to survive past birth.

They continued to have scans and updates at Sheffield Children’s and the prognosis got better and better as the weeks went on. They were told, however, that Albert would likely need surgery after his birth as he had a bronchogenic cyst, which had prevented the upper lobe of his right lung from developing.

Albert was born at Sheffield Children’s on 24 March 2022, and at birth, he breathed well and was discharged.

At three months, the surgery team looked at his scans and found that the cyst has caused the upper lobe of his right lung to overinflate, and this was putting pressure on his left lung. They recommended he have surgery to remove the inflated lobe.

Albert’s surgery took place on the 12 October 2022, then he spent four days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). In December he got the all-clear, and there are no long-term health effects expected.

Jaga said:

“The care we have received has been great from start to finish. We must have been to the hospital 15-20 times during this period and we have always been treated with professionalism and compassion. We’re so very grateful to Miss Gavens and her surgery team for taking such good care of Albert.”

Following Albert’s care, Jaga has decided to take on a big challenge to support Sheffield Children’s – on 10 September this year, she will join thousands of runners at the Great North Run.

She isn’t a regular runner and has signed up for the challenge to push herself outside of her comfort zone and to get back in shape. It will be a personal challenge for her but it is also an opportunity to give back to the hospital that cared for her son.

Jaga continued:

“During our visits, we’ve seen first-hand the work being done to help children, including children with far more serious conditions than Albert. So I thought if I could find a way to support the work being done there, and by proxy also help other children, then I should do it.”

The whole family are behind her, and Martin and their two children will be there to cheer for her on the day.

Phoebe Marriott, Events Fundraising Officer at The Children’s Hospital Charity, added:

“We are so grateful to Jaga for taking on this amazing challenge. We wish Albert the very best and we will be cheering his mum on every step of the way.”

To support the family’s fundraising visit their page here:

To sign up to take on the Great North Run for The Children’s Hospital Charity, visit their website: tchc.org.uk/get-involved/events/great-north-run-2023.