A MAN who set up and runs a support group for people with a rare incurable heart condition has been chosen to carry a baton during the Queen's Jubilee Relay.
John Waterson, 53, suffers from cardiomyopathy and has been told he may need a heart transplant in the future.
As well as running the Darlington Cardiomyopathy Self Support Group, which was formed in 1999, Mr Waterson takes part in the annual Darlington Fun Run to raise money for the Cardiomyopathy Association in London. The support group has members from across Darlington, County Durham and Teesside.
He was nominated for the relay by his daughters and by Joy McCulloch MBE, a rehabilitation nurse at the hospital.
Mr Waterson said: "I feel very proud and privileged to have been chosen to represent all heart patients, not just those in Darlington, but across Great Britain and the Commonwealth.
"It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and, although I am only 5ft 3in, I feel 10ft tall."
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