Student Molly Fletcher’s Triumph Over Heart Surgery with her Great South Run
By Jill Dando News
Portsmouth-based student Molly Fletcher, 21, is preparing to take on the Great South Run 5K race on 20th October with a deeply personal mission.
In March 2023, Molly underwent open heart surgery at the age of just 20 – a life-altering experience that tested her physical and emotional resilience.
Molly was born with aortic stenosis. She was used to even basic activities leaving her feeling faint, casting doubt on how active she could be in future. But it was a huge shock to her to be told the day before her 20th birthday that her condition had deteriorated so much that she needed life-saving surgery within a week.
Her life changed overnight.
She was given the Ross procedure – a type of heart surgery during which, instead of using a mechanical or biological valve, the surgeon replaces the patient’s aortic valve with their own pulmonary valve – at University Hospital Southampton.
The procedure was successful. Molly went on to surprise and delight her doctors by taking just days, instead of a fortnight, to recover from the surgery. Post-op, she left the hospital after only five days and made a swift and full recovery.
An ambitious graphic design student at Portsmouth University, Molly had to leave in-person studies and was worried that she would miss out on a whole term or more.
But she was committed to continuing her course remotely, ultimately enabling her to complete the year and progress to her final year.
Running for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Molly’s participation in the Great South Run is a testament to her remarkable recovery from life-changing heart surgery just last year – and a tribute to the BHF, which provides vital support to heart patients across the UK.
