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Many of us know somebody (or a family) affected by Sudden Adult Death. My lovely niece Claire was only 24 years old when she died ( Nov 2002) in her sleep. We unfortunately did not have Claire with us for nearly as long as we would have wanted. The gap Claire has left in our family is huge. She will always be missed by her husband Neil, parents Norah and Chris, elder brother Anthony and younger sister Jennifer, but her memory lives on in her gorgeous boys Joseph (now 11) and George (now 6).

Claire always wanted to do what she could to help people who were unhappy, and was pursuing a career in counselling. In this way - to do what we can do to help support the work of SADS UK is what I believe Claire would have wanted. So, here it is for you Claire, in your memory.

SADS UK endeavours to Save Lives, by informing the general public (and health professionals) of the symptoms of Heart Conditions that can cause a Sudden Arrhythmic Death if not detected and treated.

The charity donates heart monitoring and medical equipment (including defibrillators) to various places eg Hospitals/GP surgeries in the community. Having medical equipment like this available is important because this means that anybody with a previously undiagnosed heart condition has an increased chance to be diagnosed and treated before it is too late.

It is important that everyone are kept aware of Sudden Arrhythmic Death. Detecting heart problems early could save lives.

I am putting all that I can into the training for this the first of my charity runs. I may not be the fastest runner....but you can be sure that I will be working very hard for your donations!

So please dig deep and sponsor me for this very worthy charity.

A special heartwarming thank you - to you - for supporting the fantastic work of SADS UK.

Kath x

In memory of beautiful Claire. x

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UPDATES!!! UPDATES!!!UPDATES!! UPDATES!!!UPDATES!!! UPDATES!!!

Thursday 09.07.09

I'm having a quiet evening at home this evening after the (half uphill) Gibbut 10 k last evening! A chance for the legs to recover! I'll do a short fast (ish!) 'loosener' run early before work in the morning.

Thank you - unbelievably those donations are still acomin in! I checked out the costings of equipment that SADS UK are endeavouring to provide:

Defibs £1,200. Heart monitors £2,400. (So keep the pennies rolling in!) SADS UK also need funds for much needed research. They are working with Papworth Hospital and the Institute of Medical Genetics at University of Wales ('.....Where else but Wales? ' blurts Husband Phil of proud South Wales extraction, of course!)

Thank you for all your superb support.

Kath xx

Friday 10.07.09

I woke at 6 and did my shorter faster run. This one normally takes about 25 mins - I can usually fit it in before work. My timing was pretty good I knocked about 3 mins off my PB for this run (it was probably that black labrador with the flashing teeth that decided I looked like I needed to be chased off !).

So I'm happy with that time. I'll just do a half hour run tomorrow, don't want to overdo it, as it is the day before the race.

My legs are a bit achy so I think a bath and a glass of wine might just be the thing to do : ) !!

Just checked the weather for Sunday....lets hope the weather men have got it wrong!!! I might run with one of those umbrella hats on!

Thank you so much for the fabulous donations! I am astounded...I didn't think we could raise that much. What a fantastically generous bunch of friends you all are! xxx

Lots of love, Kath xx

(PS Happy Birthday Gretta xx)

Saturday 11.7.09

Loads of new donations today. We are now half way to raising enough money for a Defibrillator! Fantastic!

A very Happy Birthday to George who is 7 today!

Wish me luck for tomorrow!

Love from Kath xx

Sunday 12.7.09

Race Day. What an amazing day! We left at 7am to allow plenty of time. Indeed the weather men thank fully did not get the weather exactly right for London today and we escaped with no rain at all - in fact it was quite hot and sunny!

The SADS UK team is a small team. However,I happened by chance to meet a fellow runner from the team (Lisa) at the 9K point of the race. It was a great moment of solidarity! We just grabbed each others hand and powered through that last kilometer and crossed the finish line together! The spectators are amazing! They cheer you on - especially if you have your name on your vest - they call you by your name - and cheer and clap for you, to keep you going! I honestly have never experienced anything like it! Another great moment was passing Big Ben just as it chimed! Magic!

After the race we met up with the rest of the SADS UK team at a picnic in Green park. It was lovely to meet the other runners for SADS UK. They were all running for the race with their own special loved one in mind. They all did so well - some team members were not regular runners, and so the race was a particular challenge - but they completed it and did so well!

It has been a very special experience to be able to remember and honour the memory of Claire. Also to be able to do something, in some way, to help to promote the great work of SADS UK, and perhaps help to save a life somewhere. It's a day that I will always remember. Thank you for all your interest and support with your kind words and very generous donations. Without you all of this would not have been possible.

With lots of love and gratitude for all your support. Having so many people on board has made it all such fun!

Thank you all so very much.

With much love from Kath ( and of course on behalf of Neil, Joseph, George, Norah, Chris, Anthony and Jennifer.)

xxxxxxx

Kath Luxton's Fundraising Page

Kath Luxton's Fundraising Page

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