Every week in the UK at least 12 apparently fit and healthy young people die of undiagnosed cardiac conditions. Unfortunately, in November 2022, my close friend Ben Peters became one of those people.

One night Ben went to A&E about chest pain and heart palpitations, and after all his tests came back clear, he was discharged with an anxiety disorder. The next morning he was found dead, having had a haemorrhage within his heart. An inquest found that Ben had suffered a lethal aortic dissection, something which he never knew he was predisposed to.

Not a day goes by where I don’t think about Ben and all of the great times we had, as well as what could have been of him. Since his passing, I have been wanting to take on a big challenge to raise money in his honour. I have run 10ks and half marathons in the past, but of course nothing compares to having just over 3 months to train for the London marathon (especially given that I haven’t been running anywhere near as much as I used to)!

I would appreciate any donation, big or small, to keep me going during my training but most importantly to support Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY). This fantastic charity works with cardiologists and family doctors to establish good practice and appropriate screening facilities to promote and protect the cardiac health of our young. By supporting CRY you will help save young lives from these potentially fatal cardiac conditions.

Feel free to nominate any song you’d like for me to add onto the playlist that I’ll be blasting on the day!

Thank you so much for your support, and make sure you give your loved ones a big squeeze xxx

For more information on how your support can help: https://www.c-r-y.org.uk/

For those aged 14-35 who want to book a free ECG screening through CRY: https://www.c-r-y.org.uk/screening

For more information on Ben’s story: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/doctors-thought-healthy-25-year-26927792