Wirral nurse to run New York Marathon in memory of dad she tried to save after heart attack

Jeni Bowden from Upton will be raising funds for the British Heart Foundation after dad Phil died in March last year, aged 63, following a sudden heart attack at the family home.

The 32-year-old who works at Arrowe Park Hospital never thought she would ever need her nursing skills at home until she fought to save his life by giving Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

She said: "When it happened last year I was at home. I found my dad in bed.

"I'd heard him make a strange noise and because I'm a nurse I knew it wasn’t normal, so I had to start CPR.

"We didn't know what the cause was initially and later found out it was a heart attack.

"It was a shock as he had always been fit and well."

Phil Bowden, pictured at the last family holiday in New York overlooking a view of Central Park where Jeni will finish her New York Marathon​

Since Phil's death, Jeni and her family have adopted the British Heart Foundation as their charity of choice to prevent other families going through the same.

A collection at his funeral also raised hundreds of pounds for the charity.

Phil's favourite hobby was micro-lighting and at his funeral the vicar urged loved ones to take on their own hobby in his honour.

As a result, in June last year Jeni chose to take up running for the very first time.

She completed her first 10K on what would have been her father’s 64th birthday on September 20.

She said: "It was the first birthday without him but it kept me going knowing it was his birthday."

New York is a city close to her heart, it was where the last ever family holiday with dad took place, to celebrate her parents' 60th birthdays.

She said: "It just seemed to be the perfect place as that was our last family holiday together.

"My mum is proud but thinks I’m mad. If some would have told me early last year that I would be running the New York Marathon, I would have laughed.

"I'm getting his photo on the back of my t-shirt. While I'm running it I'll be thinking he’s got my back. He'll be with me every step of the way."

Jeni Bowden with Nikki Lewis, Julie Dillon and Suzanne Woods who will cheer her on during the New York Marathon

She has been training hard by running in Wirral and her trainer Jon Fairhurst has helped her develop her fitness.

Jeni, who is based on ward 12 at the hospital, said: "He's helped me improve my running. I wouldn’t be where I am without him.

"He's been great. The support from my family, friends and everyone at Arrowe Park Hospital has also been great."

Cheering her in British Heart Foundation shirts on the day will be friends Nikki Lewis; a staff nurse at Arrowe Park Hospital, clinical support worker Julie Dillon and Suzanne Woods, a district nurse.

Originally Jeni aimed to raise £500 but has since raised over £1,500 in sponsorship, so she is now aiming to raise as much as possible.

Jeni said: “I’m overwhelmed at how much people have donated. It’s been fantastic. The British Heart Foundation have been brilliant and have given me a training plan.

“Heart disease is one of the biggest killers, so I just want to raise awareness and money so someone else doesn’t have to go through what we went through.”

To sponsor Jeni visit her Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jennifer-Bowden1