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"My nephew Ollie Marsden died at the age of 21 in 2008, from ARVC. I’d
wanted to arrange something since then to raise awareness of the
condition that claimed Ollie’s life, but hadn’t been able to come up
with something that seemed suitable.
I then contacted Derby County football club, as Ollie was a big fan, to
see if I could have use of their stadium for the day to hold a fun run
there. They seemed happy for it to go ahead so I put all the wheels in
motion. We would run/walk/scooter 5 miles around the perimeter of the
pitch.
To gain celebrity support I again contacted DCFC, knowing that defender
Mark O’Brien had had heart surgery to correct a faulty valve. I asked
that he turn up for the local paper photograph, which he happily
obliged. He was lucky that his chosen profession insisted on a full
medical, as he told us on the day that his heart would have given way
within a year if he hadn’t had the surgery.
I feel the whole event was a fitting testament to Ollie with plenty of
column inches devoted to it, and hopefully over £1,000 raised for vital
screenings, which may well save someone’s life."
Alan Jordan
You can still donate to this event at
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/alanjordan
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