|
Laura was an athlete, superbly fit and
never ill. She ate well,
slept well and although she was in training as a swimmer, she didn’t
over-train; as parents, we made sure of that.
Laura was going to represent her country
for the first time in April and she was so proud
Gloria is now starting a counseling course to
make sure no-one goes through the trauma of feeling totally isolated in the
situation they found themselves in when Laura died.
We live in Weymouth, a busy holiday town. Beautiful and tranquil. Alan worked away all week but when he came home at weekends we were always together. The perfect family. In 1997 we decided that family life was too important to miss and decided to start our own business. We were so excited that at last we could all be together.
Our daughter Laura was a top national athlete. A high achiever in everything she did both academically and on the sports field, she excelled most at swimming. At 13 she was the fittest and healthiest child with a big smile and a mischievous sense of humour. She loved life, and everybody loved Laura.
On November 28th, 1997, she went to our local pool in Weymouth to represent her school. A very low-key event. She was in her warm-up when she collapsed and died at the poolside. She was 13 and had never suffered any illness.
It is difficult to explain the total shock and despair that we have gone through since that day. Our beautiful talented daughter was dead. We had believed that life was going to be so good. We were all going to be together. That night has changed our lives forever.
Though her autopsy showed nothing, we were told that the most probable cause of death was Long QT Syndrome. A very rare heart arrhythmia which had for a split second stopped the electrical current which works the heart muscles. How could we believe a child so fit could die of this?
The first we heard of CRY was when the Coroner sent us a CRY Brochure hoping that it would help us understand what had happened. In the first few months the support from CRY was so important. In our darkest despair we were able to talk and cry. We found someone who could try and give an explanation. We were very angry that the support from our GP was non-existent and that the Swimming Authority was not prepared to test other top young swimmers to prevent another tragedy. It became so difficult to do the simplest task and many friends disappeared. People crossed the road. We felt like lepers. Slowly we are trying to rebuild our lives, motivated by the need to be strong for our other 2 children. We have found fund raising so difficult. The mention of Laura's name and coming to terms with her death is still a constant battle. We only now feel able to start to support CRY by raising awareness locally. We have so much wanted to help but only now have felt that we were ready. We know that without CRY's support we may never have got as far as we have.
If you would like to contact one of our
Representatives or a Bereavement Supporter please call the CRY office at 01737 363222 or e-mail cry@c-r-y.org.uk
and we will put you in touch with someone who may be able to help
you.
|
Gloria
Moss