A woman who was born prematurely at just 26-weeks is getting ready to run the Principality Building Society Cardiff Half Marathon in celebration of her life.
Alyssia Matyear, now 29, also hopes that in sharing her story she can help provide hope for parents of premature babies.
The dental nurse, originally from Pontypool but now from Gloucester, said: “I’m planning to run the Cardiff Half to celebrate my 30th year and that I did pull through.”
Alyssia was born in Gwent hospital in Cardiff in October 1994 – three months before her due date. She weighed just 2lb and said she was so small that her dad could fit his wedding band around her thigh.
She said: “My mum had a few problems during her pregnancy which meant I was born at 26 weeks. Due to that I was quite unwell. I needed to have blood transfusions, I had pneumonia and septicaemia and a heart operation. I was in hospital for three months, coming home after my initial due date.”
As a result of her early birth, Alyssia now lives with a heart condition. She has a prolapsed valve and has spent her childhood in and out of hospitals.
While she says her condition doesn’t impact her in day-to-day life, she does have scans every three to five years to make sure she is OK.
“It’s never stopped me from doing anything I’ve wanted to do,” she added, “and while I do get more breathless than the average person, my doctor has given me the OK to sign up to the half marathon.”
She said: “This is a new challenge for me – I’ve not ran since I was a teen. On my birthday every year my mum always tells me how much of a fighter I was, so to mark my 30th birthday in 2024, I wanted to do something special – something that pushes me out of my comfort zone and celebrates me being healthy.
“I also want to raise money and awareness for premature babies and want to show other families that things can be positive and turn out well. It’s important that there are different perspectives out there and I want to help encourage people that they can do anything they put their mind to.”
Alyssia will be running the marathon with a friend while her husband, James, and her family will cheer her on.
She added: “I’m from Wales and really proud that I’m Welsh. The Heath Hospital in Cardiff was where I had my heart operation, so it was important for me to do my first half marathon in the city.”
Matt Newman, Chief Executive at event organisers, Run 4 Wales, commented: “We never fail to be inspired by the incredible runners, like Alyssia, taking part in our events. Her story shows the power of positive thinking and how anything is achievable if you put your mind to it. We can’t wait to cheer her over the finish line.”
