Hannah's Hope for Hearts

About my fundraising.

'Hannah's Hope for Hearts' has been set up to raise money in support of the work carried out by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (c-r-y.org.uk).

Hannah was our precious daughter, and only child. She was a fit, seemingly healthy, beautiful, young lady who had just celebrated her 14th birthday. Three days later, whilst at a friend's house, she had difficulty breathing, and collapsed. We and the paramedics desperately fought to save her but, despite everyone's best efforts, Hannah lost her life... and ours changed forever.

Shortly after, my husband, Andy, and I set up a fundraising page to support the Wiltshire Air Ambulance, which has, so far, raised over £65,000.

Almost six months after losing Hannah, we were told that she died from a heart condition that neither she, nor we were aware of. Soon after, I discovered the charity (Cardiac Risk in the Young) CRY.

CRY was established in 1995, and fundraises for research, screening, and raising awareness of cardiac conditions in young people, aged 14 to 35.

We are not the only parents to be grieving the loss of a child - every week, at least 12 more families across the UK will have been told the same tragic, devastating and life-changing news. That's 624 young people each year, every year. In 80% of cases there are NO symptoms.

There was absolutely no reason for us to suspect that Hannah had a heart condition, but she did, and that is what ended her life. She was a vibrant, beautiful, generous and happy girl; a first degree black belt at Tae Kwondo; a special friend to many, and loved by everyone. There were no symptoms leading up to her heart failure.....NONE, but she died nevertheless.

Every parent in the United Kingdom should be made aware that this can happen to their families too. A simple ECG test (no needles involved!) can detect any problems before they become serious. It's better to know early and get treatment, than to hear the news that your child has suddenly and unexpectedly lost their life.

In Italy, mandatory heart testing was introduced, and this has reduced the death rate by a staggering 89%. In the UK, parents aren't even given a leaflet! This simply has to change, and that is one of the aims of 'Hannah's Hope for Hearts'.

With your generous donations, we aim to;

Raise awareness for parents, by promoting the facts of CRY through TV & newspaper articles, and circulating on social media;

Speak with local MPs & government ministers about, at the very least, recognising the facts as provided by CRY's world-renowned cardiac experts; to produce an information leaflet to be distributed to all parents of secondary school aged children, and to look at the possibility of adopting UK wide testing;

Establish a mobile heart screening unit, staffed by volunteers, which will visit secondary schools and sports clubs, initially in Wiltshire, to provide testing for all young people.

The initial target of £5k (incl. Gift Aid) is the minimum needed by CRY before further donations can be ring-fenced by them for a mobile screening unit. When the £5k target it reached, all following donations (excl. Gift Aid) will then go towards funding a mobile heart screening unit for Wiltshire. According to CRY, the estimated cost for a fully-equipped mobile unit is £80,000, which will be the new target, after the first £5k is achieved.

The end date, has been set to 7th December 2023, as this would have been Hannah's 21st birthday.

With your help, we WILL save our young people. This will be Hannah's legacy of life.

Thank you.