Family of tragic teen Matthew join London walk
Bereaved parents and campaigners, Chris and Sue Dewhirst, travelled to the capital at the weekend to take part in the annual awareness walk organised by heart charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young.
The couple, from St Martins near Oswestry, first became involved with CRY following the sudden death of their son, Matthew, in July 2012 from a previously undiagnosed heart condition. He was aged just 17.
Matthew was a sporty teenager at Ellesmere College with a passion for rugby and his death followed a training session.
Chris and Sue were joined on The CRY Heart of London Bridges Walk by close friend, Hazel Wakefield, together with her son, Charles Coppinger, a close friend of Matthew, who had travelled from Wellington, New Zealand to support them.
The event has raised well over£750,000 to date since its launch in 2007.
Since Matthew’s tragic death, Sue and Chris together with family and friends have campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of young sudden cardiac death and CRY’s work, raising over £140,000 to date.
A free screening event will be held at Ellesmere College on August 25 and 26 with booking via testmyheart.org.uk.
The London Bridges walk saw almost almost 1400 people leave Potters Fields Park following a minute’s silence and walked together, passing by 12 of London’s most famous landmarks - representing the deaths of the 12 apparently “fit and healthy” young people who die every week in the UK from young, sudden, cardiac death.
Sue said: "It was such a wonderful surprise to have Charlie join us from New Zealand. The two boys had been close friends at Ellesmere College. With my sister and her husband, there were eight of us walking for CRY for Matthew with Matthew’s Godfather, Kelvin Holt, acting as a marshal at the Millennium Bridge refreshment point.
"It is good to see people taking the time to read our shirts and stop to ask why you were walking. It definitely has an impact having that many people walking along the Thames."
She said that in 80 per cent of cases of young sudden cardiac death there will have been no signs or symptoms, which is why CRY believes proactive cardiac screening is so vitally important.
"The charity now tests around 27,000 young people each year aged between 14 and 35 - and over 165,000 since the screening programme was launched in 1995. One in every 300 young people tested by CRY will be identified with a potentially life- threatening condition."
