On July the 30th, 2011, I am taking part in the London Triathlon to raise money for The Cardiomyopathy Association.
Why the London Triathlon? Why not! Those of you who know me well, know that I love a challenge and after having completed the London Marathon in 2006, I thought the London Triathlon seemed like a good idea (at the time - now I'm training, I'm not so sure!). For the Triathlon I have to swim for 750metres (30 lengths of a 25metre pool) in the deep, dark, cold (dirty!) waters of the London Docklands, followed by a cycle of 20 kilometres (12miles) and then a run of 5 kilometres (3 miles).
Why The Cardiomyopathy Association? Well, that's a longer story. In 1988 my brother, Jeremy, died from Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; he was 20 years old. There had been no warning, no symptoms; he was a healthy, active young man who loved life and lived life to the full. My close friends and family will know that I adored Jeremy; he was simply the best brother any sister could have.
At the time the condition was not widely known amongst health professionals; all that they could tell us, was that there had been something wrong with his heart. It was five years after his death that we discovered, through discussions with Professor William McKenna (a leading professor of cardiology at The Heart Hospital, London) that his death had been caused by Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, otherwise known as Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, which can attack seemingly healthy young people. Although this discovery did not bring my brother back to us, it helped us to understand what had happened and why his death was so sudden.
The Cardiomyopathy Association (CMA) is a registered charity that helps people and their families affected by the heart muscle disease cardiomyopathy. The CMA is the only UK charity dedicated to providing support and information to families affected by cardiomyopathy. It is supported solely by public donation.
This year, my brother would have been 44. Not a day goes by when he doesn't enter my thoughts. Please give generously to support the CMA help families understand cardiomyopathy, reducing their fears and promoting independence. Our fund raising helps the CMA provide a free helpline, information booklets, cardiomyopathy support nurses, information days, support groups and a network of volunteers who provide one-to-one support over the telephone or via email. Providing funds for the CMA also means that they can provide supported clinical care by funding specialist nurses posts in different parts of the UK, and they can provide cardiomyopathy medical conferences for doctors and nurses.
For further information about the CMA please visit www.cardiomyopathy.org.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
