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AMAZING
FEET!
Daring fundraisers hot-footed
it over burning ashes in memory of a young County Durham man who died from a
rare heart disorders.
Family and friends of
22-year-old Levon Morland, from West Rainton, took part in a 20 ft. firewalk to
raise cash for heart charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young).
Levon, who suffered from Wolfe
Parkinson White disease which causes heart flutters, died in his sleep last
January.
His brother, Aran, was among
more than 20 people who took part in the sponsored firewalk at The Greyhound
pub, in West Rainton.
Levon’s family got involved
with CRY after his death to help raise awareness of a campaign to cut the risk
of sudden death in young people with heart conditions.
They are hoping to raise £20,000 for a mobile scan unit.
The fire walk was organised by
Levon’s friend Susan Briscoe, 27, from West Rainton, who said the volunteers
wanted to raise as much money as possible for CRY in memory of Levon.
Among those taking part were
staff from the UGC cinema, in Boldon, where Susan works part-time.
DAREDEVIL TRIBUTE IS
HOT STUFF
Loving
brother Aran takes the plunge and walks across burning coals to raise cash in
memory of his twin.
Levon
Morland died suddenly from a rare illness after the twins had enjoyed a night
out together.
And now Aran
is raising much-needed cash to help research into the heart condition Wolfe
Parkinson White Disease.
He made £2,000
from his dash across 20ft. of burning coals outside the Greyhound pub in the
family’s home village of West Rainton, Co. Durham.
Afterwards,
Aran said: “This is all to raise cash for research into the condition.
It is also to raise the awareness of it.
“We got
the idea after finding out about it on the CRY Web site.
We all had a two-hour training session and it is a case of just psyching
yourself up for it.
“You just
run as quick as you can and take long strides.
It doesn’t hurt, but your feet do get a bit warm towards the end.”
Since
Levon’s death in January, Aran and his older brother, Brendan, 30, and their
parents, Sandra, 50, and Jeff, 48, have raised almost £24,000 for the Cardiac
Risk in the Young charity through sponsored events such as a cycle ride, the
Great North Run and a social night.
Aran
believes it is important to promote heart conditions in young people, because he
was unaware of the scale of the problem until his brother’s death.
Levon had
the condition for 10 years and opted not to undergo an operation to correct it.
His
relatives say they would now advise Wolfe Parkinson White carriers to have the
operation, which has a 97% success rate.
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