While mourning the death of her dad, Emma Green vowed to honour his memory by living life to the fullest.
Ms Green, 19, said the ordeal made her realise "you have to live for today and don't take any days for granted".
"You don't know what will happen tomorrow," she said.
Kevin Green suffered a spinal stroke during major surgery and became a paraplegic. He was in hospital for 190 days before he died at age 53.
"Seeing that broke my heart, but I became so grateful for the body I have. Having the ability to walk, talk, dance and run is such a privilege," said Ms Green, who attended the Hunter School of Performing Arts and now studies musical theatre.
Ms Green, of Ashtonfield, said running helps her process grief.
"I ran while my dad was in hospital. It was something to get my mind away from what was happening."
Since his death, she's been running more.
"It keeps me connected to him," she said.
She will run the City2Surf in Sydney on August 9 to "inspire others and push myself further".
"It's something to take my mind away from the stress of losing someone and what comes after," she said.
She's also fundraising for the Tristan Yan Cardiothoracic Surgery Foundation.
"Professor Yan and his foundation supported my dad for many years," she said.
Mr Green and his wife Lisa have three children, Jack, 21, and Clare, 17, along with Emma.
"Dad instilled in us that we will always be a family and we have to be one together," Emma said.
"I have shirts printed for race day. My whole family will come and support me."
She said the fundraiser was "my way of helping raise awareness of cardiac health and patient care".
"I'm so grateful for the donations I've received," she said.
"I want to emphasise the importance of cardiovascular activity every day and taking care of dental health, as gum disease is connected to heart disease. It's about starting young to prolong life and taking care of your body."
Her dad lived with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body's connective tissue, which supports organs and structures such as the eyes, bones, lungs and heart.
In November last year, Mr Green underwent a major operation at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for an artificial replacement of the descending aorta, the largest artery in the body.
"It's a major operation to swap a damaged part of the main chest artery with a synthetic fabric tube," Ms Green said.
"It was the second time this surgery had ever happened in Australia. The artificial part was printed in the UK. It was a very high-risk surgery."
If successful, the surgery would have prolonged his life and enabled him to travel overseas.
"Going into the surgery, he only had so long left to live. Unfortunately, during his treatment he suffered a stroke in his spine, leaving him a paraplegic."
He was in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for 190 days relearning to breathe, talk and eat again.
"It was a long journey and my dad faced many complications that impacted his physical and mental health greatly," Ms Green said.
"On May 25, he passed peacefully in his sleep. It wasn't the outcome my family wanted but it was the end of his suffering in hospital."
She said her dad was "the best".
"We would spend every weekend doing some sort of new fun activity. He was very much into goldfish and yabbies. He had fish tanks and cared for them dearly," she said.
"He would take us on adventures on weekends, so we could spend time together."
Support Emma's fundraiser at city2surf26.grassrootz.com.
