A LOVING dad who has endured the tragic death of his daughter and his wife suffering a severe stroke, and who has battled cancer himself, is getting ready to run more than 350 miles from his home to Shetland to thank a charity for its support.

Benjamin Napier will take on the gruelling challenge at the end of this month to raise money for Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland.

The 39-year-old, who has completed more than a dozen ultra marathons, has raised just over £3,000 for the charity while getting ready for Chloe’s Tour.

Benjamin, who is chief executive of the Citizens Advice Edinburgh, told the Courier: “On May 31, 2006, five weeks premature and by emergency caesarian, my daughter Chloe was born.

“We had known throughout the pregnancy that Chloe had a heart problem and so were fortunate to have a team of specialists on hand at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary who immediately attended to her needs.

“Chloe spent the first nine weeks in the neo-natal unit and the Royal Hospital for Sick Kids, where she had multiple procedures and operations to save her life.

“Thankfully, Chloe returned home to Dunbar, where she spent the next four to five months enjoying life with her family and getting to know big sister Maya and brother Rory.”

In the November, Chloe had surgery to try and resolve some of her existing heart problems. Unfortunately, although the operation was successful, it also caused a number of underlying conditions to surface, which meant the youngster spent much of the next six months in and out of hospital in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Benjamin, from Dunbar, added: “Any time spent at home was precious and Chloe lived those moments to the full.

“Tragically, our beautiful little girl passed away in our arms in June 2007 after an unbelievably determined fight against an unwinnable battle of illnesses. Her strength of character and love of life remains a passion and inspiration to everyone in her family who were blessed by the moments they had in her company.”

However, that was just the start of a series of illnesses that hit the family.

Benjamin was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma in June 2008 and needed six months of chemotherapy.

He said: “Hoping that life would grant us some respite, we were stunned when in May 2012 my wife suffered a massive stroke.

“She spent a week in intensive care in a very critical condition, even getting to the point where the doctors asked me to gather the family because it was thought she would not make through another day.

“But Sarah was made of more determined stuff and, like her daughter, she fought on.

“The stroke has had a significant effect, but Sarah is happy, healthy and continues to make steps towards recovery every day.”

Next Saturday, Benjamin will take on the challenge when he leaves from his home on Wilson Place and heads north.

Over the next 10 days, he will cover roughly 370 miles as he heads to Scrabster to get the ferry to Orkney.

He will then run around the south mainland before making the trip to Shetland, finishing at his parents’ house in Lerwick, Shetland’s capital.

Benjamin added: “Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland provided invaluable support, advice and information to both Sarah and our family and provided Sarah with a network of support.

“Other members of our immediate family have also suffered from serious heart problems, which have placed their lives at risk.

“The importance of research and the development of effective treatments that are supported through Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland are invaluable to families like ours and many others the length and breadth of Scotland.

“That’s why, in memory of our beautiful girl Chloe and in support of the courage and determination of other close family members, I will be running from my home in Dunbar to Shetland, where I grew up, this summer.”

To find out more, go to www.chloes-tour.co.uk To make a donation, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ChloesTour