That he would take part in the annual Melbourne fun run that raises money for the hospital that saved his son’s life.

Tomorrow the Wangaratta family — Shane, his wife Lisa, their daughters Ana, 1, Zina, 13, Zanthea, 15, Zara, 19, Zoe 22, and son Eli, 3, — will take to the streets with 35,000 other participants for the 10th CityLink Run for the Kids.

The run, held to support the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal, has raised more than $10.5 million since it started in 2006.

Shane said no amount of thanks would be enough for the surgeons, doctors, nurses and staff who performed life-saving heart surgery on Eli on three occasions.

Now a healthy and happy three-year-old, Shane and Lisa said Eli would not be here today if not for the team at the Melbourne hospital.

“We are a single-income family and we can never repay the hospital financially, but we can do something like this fun run to support what they do,” Shane said.

“The first time we went to the Royal Children’s Eli was just three months old and it was daunting and terrifying.

“We left behind a house, four daughters, two dogs and the chickens for an undetermined length of time.”

Shane said the support they received from the hospital and organisations such as HeartKids Victoria made their ordeal bearable.

“We were given accommodation and food vouchers so we didn’t have to worry about where we were going to sleep, we just had to worry about our child,” he said.

Money raised from the run helps fund research projects that ensure children like Eli are given the best treatment available.

“In the 1990s, 98 per cent of children with Eli’s condition did not survive; now it is less than 2 per cent,” Shane said.

“We have some of the best cardiologists right here in Victoria and the medical advancements are amazing.

“We know things could have been a whole lot worse with Eli and we know we are very, very lucky.”