Rowena and Craig's page
Rowena Merritt is raising money for Cardiac Risk in the Young
“Rowena Merritt's fundraising”
on 29 March 2011
Story
On the 27th January 2007, my life changed forever when my late partners Andrew Dawson died suddenly. Andrew was a fit and healthy 27 year old, who loved to play rugby. Tragically, whilst playing rugby one cold January afternoon, he died. It was very sudden; he caught the ball then dropped down to the ground. By the time his team mates reached him, he was already dead and could not be resuscitated.
I cannot describe the months after his death, as they are all a blur to me now. I was on auto-pilot, numb from the shock that a seemingly healthy man could be running around one minute, then gone from this world the next.
Andrew died of what they term Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS). Death is always very sudden, and very few are ever resuscitated. It affects the under 35, and it is estimated that 12 young people a week die from it in the UK. However, this is only an estimate as it is difficult to know the actual figure in the UK unexplained sudden death is frequently recorded as due to death from ‘natural causes’.
CRY is the only UK charity that focuses on Sudden Death in the Young. It is an excellent charity that does far more than raise awareness of the condition. It provides practical support such as free heart screening for sports clubs, bereavement counselling and even funds a university research team to look into the condition further. It is for these reasons, I am proud to support the charity.
To raise funds to support their growing research programme, my boyfriend Craig and I are cycling from London to Amsterdam and back again in 4 days (around 75 miles a day), setting off on Thursday 2nd June 2011. It is a huge challenge for me and one I am currently findings a little daunting. However, Andrew was the most inspirational man I have ever met, and so, in his memory I am going to complete the ride.
Craig and I are proud to be cycling for CRY and we hope you’ll be able to support us. 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.