In July 2019, my father Chris Owen died of a sudden cardiac arrest aged 54. He suffered from blood pressure (hypertension) but after many years of strain on his heart he collapsed and sadly passed leaving a 17 year old daughter (myself) without a father.

Heart disease runs in my family with my grandfather also passing suddenly from a heart attack when I was a child. After years of sadness and grief, I focused my energy on trying to generate something positive from my tragic loss. In November 2022, I set up a group on LinkedIn called Heart Health in Business which is dedicated to raise awareness of heart related topics including CPR.

Since starting the group, I have campaigned and donated two defibrillators to local communities to give them access to life saving equipment. In the event of a cardiac arrest, a defibrillator is used to send an electrical shock to the heart to restart its natural rhythm. Along with effective CPR, the rapid use of a defibrillator in an emergency can significantly increase chances of survival.

My aim is to raise money to purchase defibrillators to donate them to local businesses/communities in memory of my father and to save lives.

Any support is greatly appreciated- thank you.

Sophie.