"A year at the heart of the challenges": 12 races for save a life
Born in France with a heart defect, Thibaut Leprince was fortunate enough to be able to undergo surgery from birth. This great sportsman at heart was nevertheless deprived of sporting competition throughout his adolescence. Today, at the age of 33, he has taken on the sporting and solidarity challenge of running 12 races in 12 months to raise 12,000€! He thus wishes to finance the operation of an underprivileged and cardiac child who has not had the chance to be treated from the very first days of his life.
"33 years ago, I was lucky enough to have a diagnosis in Lille and an operation in Paris to "repair" my very young heart. 15 days after my birth, a new life opened up to me. You learn to live with it, and then one day you realize how lucky you were: to be diagnosed, operated on and live normally!"
"A year at the heart of challenges", Thibaut's adventure in support of Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaquebegan in January 2020, when he donned his Coureurs du Cœur jersey for the first time at the Boucle Gardannaise race. Thanks to his communication skills, including interviews and phone calls, Thibaut raised €1,150 in his first month! A promising start for the young sportsman, who had no idea that the Covid-19 crisis would upset his plans.
February continued apace with the Trail des Anges, but Thibaut's adventure took a real turn in March, when he met little Aro and his foster mom Nadine in Marseille. The adorable 9-month-old Madagascan had arrived in France a few weeks earlier to undergo surgery for his IVC (Inter Ventricular Communication).
"Sharing a few hours with little Aro and Nadine was like a flashback to my own story. (...) Aro's smile and joie de vivre confirmed to me that the operation had been a success. I now understand that, once the heart has been repaired, we can see the future differently for all these children."
Galvanized by this encounter, Thibaut will unfortunately be slowed down by the coronavirus . But it takes more than that to stop this Coureur de Coeur! Confined to his home in the Var region of France, he never stopped communicating on his social networks, making contact with partner companies, and continuing to run (in compliance with safety instructions)... The result: he didn't fail in his objective and continued to raise €1,000 a month!
Let's continue to encourage Thibaut throughout the year, because he says it himself: " My fundraising page will stay open as long as my heart keeps my legs moving. One year at the heart of challenges', I hope will turn into 'years'."
I participate to his project by clicking herei.
Photos ©Ludovic Prete
