Courageous Burnley mum's mission to help find a cure for heart disease after devastating loss of her little girl

A brave mum, who lost her seven-year-old daughter to a heart condition, is taking on a challenge to raise awareness and find a cure for the disease.

Life changed forever for Donna Craig when her beautiful little girl, Aimee-Lee Denton, died of a condition known as Myocarditis in 2013.

It was sudden and shocking as Aimee-Lee had been sent home from hospital after doctors were unable to find out what was wrong with her.

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Donna, who lives in Harle Syke, said: "She was pale and lethargic and just not herself. They did all different tests and took samples of blood.

The "Magnificent Seven" team are preparing for the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.The "Magnificent Seven" team are preparing for the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.
The "Magnificent Seven" team are preparing for the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

"She was sent home and three hours later she was gone."

Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle which causes degeneration or death of heart muscle cells.

The disease has many different causes and can result in a range of outcomes from mild to rapidly progressing fatal disease.

It was the support of family and friends, including her 22-year-old son Dylan Close, that helped Donna to cope with her overwhelming loss. And some of them will be joining her in tackling the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge.

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Their aim is to raise money for the British Heart Foundation which exists to fund research and discover new cures into heart disease.

The charity has halved the number of people dying from heart and circulatory disease in the UK but hundreds of people still lose their lives everyday.

Donna said: "I had never heard of the condition Myocarditis so I wanted to do something to raise awareness of it."

The team have already raised £1,255, way beyond their initial target of £300, and they hope to bring in more when people realise why they are doing it.

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The team will be hoping to conquer the hills of Whernside, which stands at 2,415 feet, Pen-y-Ghent which is 2,277 feet and Ingleborough which is 2,372 feet high.

Donna (41) said: "I enjoy walking so I chose a challenge related to that."

The team will tackle the challenge this Saturday (July 7th) and if you would like to make a donation please go to

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/donna-craig3.