Brave Natalie to walk miles in aid of her heart charity

Nine-year-old Natalie Archibald is a rare childhood sufferer of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension - an incurable and ultimately life-threatening condition affecting her heart and lungs.

Tomorrow she will take part in her annual walk - Natalie's Walk - which was set up by her gran, Helen Archibald, to raise funds for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where Natalie has been treated since her diagnosis three years ago.

The Loretto Primary School pupil, who lives in Musselburgh, said: "I'm looking forward to the walk and I'm pleased that I have got a lot of people coming to do it - I think it's the most I've had so far."

The youngster will be joined by around 40 friends and relatives, including mum Janis, 48, dad Stuart, 45, and 12-year-old brother Ryan.

"We have more parents from school joining in and my husband has people coming from his work," said Janis, of Pinkie Hill Crescent.

The walk, now in its third year, has raised 15,000 since it began.

Helen, 69, said: "Great Ormond Street Hospital saved Natalie's life as far as I'm concerned and I just wanted to give something back. They went out of their way to find out what was wrong with her."

Mrs Archibald first saw a change in her daughter on Christmas Day 2006 when she collapsed after opening presents.

Paramedics initially put it down to over-excitement but Natalie was later diagnosed with the illness, which causes high blood pressure in the lungs and strains the heart, with potentially fatal consequences.

It was at Great Ormond Street Hospital that Natalie was prescribed Viagra and it has been credited with saving her life.

The Viagra helps open the arteries and improve blood flow to her lungs, allowing her to lead a normal life.

Natalie will only walk part of the journey due to her condition and will spend the rest in her wheelchair.

Helen, a grandmother-of-five from Musselburgh, said: "Natalie will walk so far and then we take a turn of pushing her in the wheelchair. She knows her limits and exactly how far she can go."

Janis added: "She's a normal schoolgirl. When she's on her bike, nothing will stop her.

"Once a year we have to go down to Great Ormond Street and every three months the doctors come up to Glasgow for a clinic. Right now everything's on an even keel. We want it to stay like that."

The journey gets under way at the Horseshoe Tavern at 10am, with the group walking to Seton Sands Holiday Caravan Park and back. Helen said: "The walk has been 15 miles for the last two years but we're a year older, so we thought it'd be a bit much."