A run from the heart

Survivor back after operation

THE last time Bete Naben visited Geelong it was to have open heart surgery.

Ms Naben is now in training for her first fun run.

The East Timorese motherof-three has returned to Australia to thank people who donated to a medical charity that changed her life eight months ago.

As part of the East Timor Hearts Fund, Ms Naben was flown to the Geelong hospital last November for the lifesaving surgery by a team of Barwon Health doctors and surgeons.

Born with ventricular septal defect or “hole in the heart”, the sports teacher struggled to lift anything heavier than 2kg before her complex procedure.

She is about to put her newfound fitness to the test in a 6km fun run this weekend in Run Melbourne.

“For me, it will be a great challenge and achievement, because when I was so sick I